Arterial roads around Msida will be temporarily closed off to traffic this weekend to allow for fireworks to be launched during the Msida festa, despite complaints that this will exacerbate the traffic around the Kappara junction works.
The closures, which have not been officially announced, were met with disappointment from transportation companies, who complained that the nearby Kappara junction works had already made the traffic situation problematic. Parts of the Santa Venera bypass and Regional Road are expected to be closed, although no times or dates have yet been issued.
Paul Abela from the GRTU Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises said he had received a number of complaints from local businesses about the closures but said there was little that could be done.
In some localities the only option is a road closure. This is the case in Msida and I don’t think we should go down the path of cancelling feasts
“In some localities the only option is a road closure. This is the case in Msida and I don’t think we should go down the path of cancelling feasts. They are an important part of our identity,” he said.
Mr Abela said the GRTU was not against any particular festa, but insisted the cumulative effects all feasts were having, needed to be looked at.
“We have closures every week due to festi, sometimes more than one locality. This effects business, particularly transport related companies,” he said.
He added that the Kappara junction works were already causing traffic problems in the island’s central road network. While businesses and commuters would have to suffer some inconvenience while these works were carried out, the same was also true for festa aficionados.
“This is going to have to be a give and take from all parties involved. While we definitely don’t want to do away with festi, we should explore ways to minimise their impact on the road network,” he said.
A Transport Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that some closures would occur in the Msida area but insisted these would not make the traffic situation worse. The traffic committee, she said, had analysed requests for closures from all localities.
“The committee made sure that feast closures will not obstruct Kappara alternative routes when needed. When possible, Transport Malta will adapt works to allow usual closures to carry on without obstructing Kappara’s timeline,” she said.
The spokeswoman added that in Msida, the disturbance would be similar to last year's.
“The traffic capacity at Kappara during the feast remains close to what it was last year, despite the ongoing works,” she said.
The Msida feast coincides with several arts events happening in the vicinity, and the diversions are often blamed for delays.
Msida feast enthusiasts first regained their long-coveted permit to let off fireworks from Swatar in 2013, the first Msida feast after the last general election.
The police had stopped issuing the permit in 2008, when the management at Mater Dei Hospital, which opened its doors that year, complained that closing the Santa Venera bypass and Regional Road would hinder ambulances.
The new police administration changed the policy, however, and issued a permit.
Back then, the head of the Msida Pyrotechnics Society, Paul Sghendo, said the club had decided it would only have ground fireworks (ġigġifogu) as a sign of respect for two pyrotechnicians from the locality who had been hurt in a blast.
In the accident, at the Żebbuġ fireworks factory, Raymond Sultana, 55, of Ta’ Xbiex, suffered life-threatening injuries and Charlton Mifsud, 33, escaped with slight injuries.