Frustration levels have peaked as cars on the road seem to mushroom. Claudia Calleja gets an overview of the traffic situation, its main causes and possible solutions, and delves into how drivers handle stress.
There are 321,425 vehicles packed into Malta’s 2,254-kilometre road network, according to the most recent figures obtained from the transport authorities.
Combine this with major roadworks on several arterial roads, the beginning of the scholastic year and undisciplined driving.
The result: frustrating chaos.
“I describe Malta as a small island overflowing with motor vehicles,” says Joseph Micallef Stafrace, a traffic expert since the 1960s who has witnessed the evolution of Malta’s road system.
As the number of cars on the roads increased, several improvements were carried out to address the situation, like the construction of the Birkirkara, Mrieħel and Żebbuġ bypasses, he says.
“However, any improvement has now been overtaken by the astronomical number of vehicles.
“We have rush and rusher hour now,” he says.
In fact, according to Transport Malta, “rush hour” is no 60-minute affair. Technically speaking it spans between 6.30am and 9am and between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
According to Dr Micallef Stafrace, the only way to address the traffic inferno is continuous road improvement coupled with long term measures that essentially come with the greatest challenge: culture change.
Planned projects in key areas – such as the Kappara junction, Marsa’s Aldo Moro Road and Birkirkara Valley – will greatly improve the situation as traffic flow will be smoother, he says.
Removing the risk of flooding, through the ongoing national flood relief project, will mean people no longer avoid areas like Msida and Birkirkara when it rains.
This “fear of flooding”, which is unjustified when it drizzles, results in the clogging of alternative routes taken to avoid flood-prone areas.
Then, he says, there are the long-term measures, which essentially mean convincing people to use their cars less often.
“First and foremost we need to restore confidence in public transport,” he says.
People also have to be persuaded to car pool, walk short distances, and encouraged to use motorcycles or bicycles.
Dr Stafrace points out there are realities that make it impractical for some people to leave their car at home. Working mothers need their car to be able to juggle work and family commitments, for example.
Any improvement has now been overtaken by the astronomical number of vehicles
Some parents do not send their children to school by school transport because they cannot afford it or because timing does not work.
Tackling these issues would also address traffic.
Finally, he says, drivers have to be disciplined and educated – obeying the rules means smoother traffic flow. Police Inspector Mario Tonna, who heads the traffic section, could not agree more.
“The time has come for police to join forces with wardens and Transport Malta officials to see how we can leave an impact and educate drivers,” he says.
There are 34 traffic police officers in Malta and nine in Gozo and the plan was to increase the staff to become more visible, he adds.
Most problems faced by traffic police are related to a lack of education and cooperation by road users.
To give a few examples, the use of mobile phones while driving, failing to use indicators, speeding and criss-crossing lanes without choosing the right one in advance all contribute to traffic.
Also, when police close a road, an endless amount of drivers slow down to ask the officer what happened, to complain, or to insist they have to pass through.
Drivers also clog roads unnecessarily when they are involved in bumper-to-bumper collisions – of which there are about nine a day.
“Motorists leave their cars in the middle of the road while they wait for the police or warden when they are meant to fill in the form and move to the side.
“Some don’t even have the form – the police have a right to fine them €105 but we are often patient and opt to educate rather than fine,” he says.
Understanding road rage
Driving can be a very emotional experience and, when the wrong buttons are pushed, that emotion can turn to rage.
Recently, a driver was jailed for a month because he punched a woman in the face after she hooted her horn at him. While this might be extreme, it is not unusual to see drivers yelling insults or making obscene gestures at each other.
According to psychologist Edward Curmi, when a person is driving there are many different thoughts crossing their mind.
Directly or indirectly, they may be trying to convey these thoughts to others. For example, some people drive with the rationale of needing others to know they are, literally, king of the road.
Their driving skills confirm certain anti-social beliefs such as dominance, power and ownership, says Dr Curmi, author of Common Sense: A Better Understanding of Emotional Wellbeing.
Behaviour on the road is a combination of personality factors and driving conditions such as traffic or destination.
“For example, if a calm person is trying to get to an important, life-changing interview on time and finds heavy traffic, this might make them drive in a more reckless manner and do things that are never expected of them,” he said.
“It is not necessarily how calm or how agitated I am but actually the way I perceive the situation in that moment.”
Government priorities
Aldo Moro Road
• In a bid to solve traffic congestion in Marsa’s Aldo Moro Road, a temporary deviation through the former Malta Shipbuilding yard has been identified as an alternative route, a Transport Ministry spokeswoman said.
Two of the eight lanes have been closed to start works on the building of rainwater culverts as part of the flood relief project.
Kappara Junction
• The Kappara junction is one of the worst bottlenecks in Malta, with an estimated 6,000 vehicles passing at peak times. Works to build a flyover in the area are expected to start next year, the spokeswoman said.
Possible bridge
• Over the past years, bottlenecks have developed at a number of critical locations. One of them is near the Addolorata Cemetery in Marsa. The Government is considering a substantial change to the junction.
“Having a bridge between Belt Il-Ħazna and Corradino is one of the several options that is currently being discussed, in its early stages, within Transport Malta,” the spokeswoman said.
Monorail memories rekindled
Businessman Anġlu Xuereb is insisting that his proposal to build a monorail system, first made more than a decade ago, is still relevant and will help solve the increasing traffic problem.
Some months ago he had a meeting with Transport Malta to, once again, propose the system.
“It is 100 per cent still relevant. It is perfect for Malta,” he insists.
His idea is to apply for EU funds to develop an underground electric monorail system that would initially be built in the inner and outer harbour areas with the possibility of being expanded.
It would have four interchange stations along a circular route that could be located close to the entrance of Palumbo (former Drydocks’ entrance), the Marsa industrial estates, Mater Dei Hospital and at the Valletta bus terminus.
The 24-hour service would be backed by a network of small buses that would drop off and pick up people from nearby towns and villages.
Road works – ongoing and planned
| Road | * From | To |
| Mitħna Road, Qormi | August 20 | November 6 |
| Aldo Moro Road, Marsa | September 12 | December 27 |
| Valley Road, Birkirkara | September 26 | November 4 |
| Mdina Road, Attard | September 20 | January 27, 2014** |
| December 13 Road, Marsa | December 6, 2011 | January 1, 2014 |
| Dock 1, Cospicua | September 4 | December 4 |
| Sa Maison Hill, Floriana | September 3 | November 21 |
| Siggiewi Road, Żebbuġ | November 2, 2012 | November 22 |
| Lord Strickland Road, Attard | October 7 | November 8 |
| Pretty Bay, Birżebbuġa | April 25 | December 21 |
| Triq Il-Kbira, Gudja | July 29 | November 30 |
| St Albert Street, Gzira | June 5 | December 4 |
| Misraħ Iż-Żerniq area, Kirkop | October 24, 2012 | December 31 |
| Ħal Far Road, Birżebbuġa | August 8 | December 30 |
| Malta Industrial Parks, Birżebbuġa | October 4 | November 18 |
*Dates, taken from the Transport Malta website’s road closure section, indicate current validities of the permit granted to the contractor, as per his request, to carry out works. Dates may not be final.
**Unless indicated the year is 2013.
Malta’s traffic and congested roads will be this week’s main topic of discussion on Times Talk, the programme presented by Times of Malta on TVM every Tuesday at 6.55pm.