Several roads in Swieqi are in a disastrous state because of overdevelopment and an increase in traffic flows through the locality, and the council is calling on the authorities to pitch in for their maintenance.
One of the streets which makes motorists feel like they “are driving on the moon” is Triq il-Keffa, which would take than half of the council’s annual budget to resurface, according to deputy mayor Justin Fenech.
“Roads are deteriorating through increased use and the council has no budget to maintain let alone resurface these roads. Our budget for a year is around €550,000 for all council operations. To resurface a road like Triq il-Keffa, which is in a disastrous state, we need around €300,000. The situation is ridiculous – we are meant to maintain roads but are not given the funding to do so,” Dr Fenech said when contacted.
He explained that the council used a substantial amount of its funds, which it had saved up over time, to resurface Triq il-Qasam and Triq il-Marbat. However, while the council saves up, other roads start deteriorating and the vicious circle goes on. “Why shouldn’t a percentage of road taxes go directly to councils for road maintenance? Why shouldn’t a percentage of property taxes – stamp duty and property tax which can reach up to 15 per cent of a property transfer – go directly to councils for investment in road infrastructure? Swieqi is under constant construction. Our roads have deteriorated because of the number of construction vehicles that pass through them. They are not built for the increase in volume of residents,” he said.
“Every time you drive through Triq il-Keffa and feel as if you landed on the moon, please remember that the government has not helped the Swieqi council to solve the road deterioration problem. This is the frustration we share with residents. Councillors work on a voluntary basis and with dedication to improve their locality and yet are not given the proper budgets to do so,” Dr Fenech added.
Other councils in neighbouring localities are facing the same struggle, mostly due to congestion and damage caused by heavy vehicle.
Swieqi residents have started an online petition calling on Transport Malta to fund road maintenance.
“We need to come together as a community and express our concerns about the state of our roads. Excessive development within the locality has led to the deterioration of our roads. Adequate funding needs to be allocated to the Swieqi local council, which will help them to maintain our roads, making them safer for everyday use,” Thea Castillo, who started the petition, wrote.