Reference is made to The Times’ editorial Urgent Need To Revamp Traffic Management (August 8).

For some reason, The Times comes to the foregone conclusion that Transport Malta has already approved the works proposed in St Paul Street, Valletta.

This is not the case. At the time of writing this reply we are yet to receive the local council’s traffic management plan, which requires our approval before works can commence.

The Times also questions the decision to carry out works on “the main road to the airport in summer”.

We have given an explanation to this on various other occasions, including to letter-writers in this newspaper but, for the sake of convenience, I will repeat that we have no control over the procurement process and the time it takes to adjudicate tenders and to resolve any appeals and, hence, on the timing of the conclusion of this process.

The works, involving the complete reconstruction of the roads involved, are envisaged to take about 12 months to be concluded and, therefore, whenever these start they are bound to overlap over one summer season anyway.

Having said that, we have provided (and in most cases asphalted) various diversion routes, which are meeting the demand and serving commuters adequately.

On a general note, our efforts at improving traffic management are incessant. Apart from planning the reconstruction of roads to meet the projected demand of traffic and prevailing patterns, one will no doubt have noted other initiatives implemented on a day-to-day basis. To mention some: the quality – and amount – of road signage during roadworks has improved significantly; we impose fines on contractors who do not stick to approved traffic management plans; studies are carried out scientifically through traffic modelling and counts to simulate new or diversion routes; intelligent traffic management systems are being introduced to better manage the interface between public transport and private commuters; and Transport Malta’s enforcement officers have become omnipresent with the primary aim of guiding – and educating – drivers at strategic traffic nodes.

Denying that we cannot do more would be, of course, preposterous. Our intention is to continue to improve.