How could a tunnel designed mostly for horse-drawn carts have been allowed to develop into one of Swieqi's busiest access points for both cars and pedestrians? 

It's a question Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat returned to yesterday, after a van got stuck in the Swieqi-Paceville tunnel beneath the Regional Road.

“People walk alongside cars, which is crazy and unheard of in this day and age. It is a disgrace. This council and the previous one had repeatedly called on the government to open two inlets on either side for pedestrians, but unfortunately it has been to no avail so far. Hopefully something will be done as part of the Ten-T (roads) project,” Mr Muscat said.

Yesterday's accident was merely a symptom of a bigger problem involving public safety, he argued. 

Mr Muscat said that the tunnel was built in the late 1960s when the Regional Road was constructed. At the time the area was practically all fields and the tunnel was expected to handle little more than horse-drawn carts.

Fast-forward 50 years, and the tunnel is now one of the busiest access points for Swieqi. But the far more serious issue is that the tiny entrance/exit is shared by cars and pedestrians, with an obvious danger for the latter.

He said the height limitations for drivers using the tunnel are well displayed, and drivers needed to heed them and use the other two access points to Swieqi.

Mr Muscat said Swieqi local council is also calling for a pedestrian underpass to provide a safe passage between Swieqi and Pembroke, where several schools and sports facilities are located.