It was a pleasant summer morning while heading to Mellieħa Bay – until I arrived at the top part of Ġorg Borg Olivier Street. In the summer heat, a bus and a large commercial vehicle were blocking traffic in both directions.
Following a number of complaints, this was resolved after some cars reversed and others mounted the pavements. Such occurrences in Mellieħa take place several times a day. In addition to these problems, Ġorg Borg Olivier Street is continuously being polluted by fumes from heavy vehicles and large buses.
Having been acclaimed as a European destination of excellence, with its quaint style as an old village, Mellieħa’s narrow roads were never meant to cater for so much traffic. The majority of buses passing through are actually transferring people from Ċirkewwa, hotels and beaches to other parts of the island. There is no need for all buses to pass through the village core. If the new bus operator really wants to provide a service to Mellieħa residents, it should expand its services to most parts of the village using frequent, smaller and eco-friendly buses running on LPG or a hybrid engine to reduce pollution.
The village bus service should then connect to a main line and to the rest of the island. Such a move will serve the majority of Mellieħa residents and would truly make it an ‘excellent destination’.