The tidal lane traffic system in Sir Paul Boffa Avenue in Paola which was dismantled recently cost taxpayers an average €500 a day during the 15 months for which it was in operation.
The automated bollard system was removed in preparation for the start of works on the new multilevel intersection near the Addolorata Cemetery.
Rolled out in May 2016 as a temporary measure to mitigate rush hour traffic in the southern part of the island, the tidal lane’s project cost was €235,000. The system was only operational until last August, when, for some reason, the bollards were replaced by plastic barriers operated manually.
Read: Plastic barriers being used to run tidal traffic system
A Transport Malta spokesman told the Times of Malta last October that in the coming weeks, the tidal lane system would be incorporated in the new traffic management arrangements required for the extensive Marsa junction project. At the time, works were also being carried out to downsize the roundabout near Corradino, at the upper end of Sir Paul Boffa Avenue.
To the surprise of many, they have been removed permanently and the holes filled with concrete
Transport Malta also pointed out that the use of the tidal lane system would be adjusted to cause minimum inconvenience for those using the road during the different phases of the project.
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Two months down the line, motorists who regularly commute through the thoroughfare contacted this newspaper expressing surprise that the automatic bollards had been permanently removed and the holes filled with concrete. Many of them questioned the decision to spend €235,000 on a project that only served its purpose for a little more than a year.
A spokesman for the transport watchdog insisted that this was always meant to be a temporary measure. He confirmed that the bollards had been permanently removed as part of a site clearance exercise connected with the Marsa junction project.
The massive Marsa project was already in the pipeline when the tidal lane project was announced. Asked why Transport Malta still forged ahead, no reply was forthcoming from the spokesman.
However, he pointed out that the automated bollards removed from Marsa would be installed in other locations, mostly Valletta.
Announced by the Prime Minister, the tidal lane project was awarded to Q-Free Traffico.
Read: Tidal lanes working well, Transport Malta says
Despite exceeding the €100,000 public procurement threshold above which contracts must be awarded by tender, in this case a call for quotations was made.
At the time, Transport Malta justified the decision, saying the original estimate for the works was below the set limit.