Transport Malta has removed bollards blocking two roundabouts in Naxxar as the move turned out to have been counterproductive, causing more havoc than easing the traffic flow.
The decision to remove the bollards at two arterial roundabouts was taken yesterday, less than a week since they were installed last Saturday.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry said the bollards had been placed there on a trial basis as Transport Malta monitored the situation. She said the idea was to determine whether traffic flowed better by closing off two roundabouts that were in close proximity to each other.
“As with all traffic management measures and initiatives being taken by Transport Malta aimed at easing traffic flow, the initial impact is always challenging because drivers need to adapt to new routes.
“Transport Malta is regularly monitoring the traffic flow and will determine the appropriate way forward in due course,” the spokeswoman had said before yesterday’s decision.
The bollards were installed at the two roundabouts located just a few metres away from each other at the end of Tal-Balal Road. This effectively merged them into one large traffic island.
As a result, drivers approaching Naxxar from San Ġwann who wanted to take the Birguma bypass had to go past the exit on the first roundabout, take the second roundabout next to GS Supermarket and double back. Those coming from the direction of the Naxxar fair grounds could not turn towards Naxxar church at the GS roundabout but had to do so at the second roundabout that leads to Birguma.
The experiment led to long traffic jams and the move was not well received by motorists, especially those who were stuck in traffic. One driver, Gerald Busuttil, told Times of Malta the road leading to the Birguma roundabout was “already a nightmare” in the first place.
“Traffic usually starts from San Ġwann on a very bad day,” he said. The closure simply made it worse.
He said it took him an hour and 20 minutes to get from San Ġwann to Għargħur on Tuesday. The aim of the measure was to reduce cut-through traffic, usually the cause of traffic congestion.
However, the numbers showed this was not the right measure for such a spot, and therefore the decision was taken to remove the bollards and open the roundabouts to traffic again.