A bus lane on the Gżira front will spell “disaster” and make a “dreadful” situation even worse, a traffic expert has warned.

Transport Malta announced yesterday that traffic along the Gżira front towards Ta’ Xbiex will soon be limited to a single lane as a bus lane is introduced. It said the new arrangement will improve traffic flow near Manoel Island as vehicles approaching from Sliema will no longer have to move from two lanes to one.

Traffic expert and former transport consultant Hugh Arnett said the plan will only make the present “dreadful” situation worse.

“Bus lanes are a silly thing unless you have got a really wide road,” he said. “If they are going to knock out one lane in favour of a dedicated bus lane, it will make life much more difficult for thousands of motorists, unless the service is running on time,” he remarked.

When it was pointed out to him that studies had been carried out, Mr Arnett said such a measure should be introduced for a trial period in the summer months, when traffic in the area was at its peak. 

Gżira mayor Roberto Cristiano was pleased that parking spaces or part of the front would not make way for an additional lane, as had been proposed in 2012.

However, he acknowledged that limiting the traffic to a single lane could be a risky measure because it could cause a bigger traffic build-up in Gżira. 

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