Balzan residents will today start collecting signatures petitioning Transport Malta to re-route the bus service through the town’s main street.
Around 30 residents gathered in the town square yesterday to voice their frustration about the situation and the fact that buses passing through the Balzan centre did not go directly to Valletta.
This is the second petition by a locality protesting against bus routes. Last month Marsascala residents living in Tas-Siberia, the largest residential zone in the town, started a petition demanding the reinstatement of a direct bus route to Valletta, which would cover the Cerviola, Jerma and St Thomas areas.
To get to the capital from the centre, Balzan residents must catch the 106 bus, which first stops at Mater Dei Hospital. Alternatively, they can catch the 54, which passes every hour and after leaving Balzan goes through the Mrieħel bypass, into Fleur de Lys and Ħamrun, before reaching Valletta.
The residents also say the closest stop to the town centre, in Triq Birbal, is prone to flooding in winter. They are demanding the bus is redirected through Main Street instead.
“The road the bus goes through has storm warning alarms set up so cars don’t pass through when it rains heavily, but then they expect people to pass through it to catch a bus,” Balzan deputy mayor Joe Galea said.
“About 40 per cent of the area’s residents are elderly, so it is unfair to expect them to walk for 10 minutes,” Mr Galea added.
He also said residents were perfectly happy with the route as it was before the change, namely the route previously handled by bus 40.
One resident said it took her two hours to get to Valletta the previous day.
“This is not a protest against Arriva. This is a protest against the ridiculous routes...We don’t want anything special but we will fight for what we want. This petition is only the beginning,” Mr Galea said.
One elderly woman shouted: “We should block the roads!”
Another resident said the current route was also unfair on students attending Junior College in Msida, since they now had to catch two buses to reach their destination.
Marsascala residents are facing a similar predicament and Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja said when contacted that the council had heard nothing since a meeting was held with representatives from Arriva, Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry on August 24.
“It’s like whoever thought up these routes has never been to Marsascala, and probably doesn’t even know where it is on a map,” an irate Mr Calleja said.
When contacted, Transport Malta said the Marsacala council’s proposals were being evaluated.
Mr Calleja said he had been promised the area would start being served after the next round of route changes which will take place next month, but planned to give a press conference in the coming days to “drive the point home that we find this state of affairs to be unacceptable”.