The transport watchdog is evaluating the effectiveness of the controversial Gżira bus lane but is also planning to upgrade the Manoel Island bridge junction to alleviate traffic congestion in the area.

This was confirmed by a Transport Ministry spokeswoman who was reacting to complaints that the recently introduced bus lane had only made the situation worse.

Labour MP Luciano Busuttil recently vented his frustration on Facebook, remarking that he had been stuck in traffic for half an hour and not a single bus had passed during that time.

Before the bus lane’s introduction in February, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi insisted that traffic flow studies in the area indicated that a single lane could handle the volume of traffic going through this arterial road.

If necessary, further upgrading measures will be proposed

However, this newspaper has since heard a barrage of criticism from motorists, who complained that the situation had gone from bad to worse.

Traffic expert Hugh Arnett said the bus lane would spell “disaster” for motorists and make a “dreadful” situation even worse.

Asked whether the ministry would consider ditching the bus lane, the ministry said Transport Malta was monitoring traffic patterns and evaluating the impact of the pelican crossings along the front.

“If necessary, further upgrading measures will be proposed,” the spokeswoman said

“Meanwhile, designs are being prepared for the upgrade of the Manoel Island bridge junction, which is posing a number of road safety risks and is a bottleneck due to uncontrolled traffic movements and activity in a localised spot,” the spokeswoman added.

The ministry noted that the bus lane was intended to extend the concept of single carriageway traffic in each direction, which was introduced at Qui-si-Sana and Tigné seafront a number of years ago.