In 2009, this newspaper carried an item titled ‘Residents demand speed camera at Gozo black spot’ reporting that the locals urged the authorities to install a speed camera in Mġarr Road, Għajnsielem where motorists constantly drive at excessive speed to catch the ferry.

The article appeared a week after a woman was killed. That same year, this road also claimed the life of another young man in almost the same spot.

Mayor Francis Cauchi said then that the local council had applied for a speed camera in 2008 but no decision was taken by the transport authority.

Fast forward 10 years and that decision is still pending while the local council continues to put pressure for a solution. Information given recently in Parliament indicated there were 86 accidents, including three fatalities and nine cases of serious injury, between 2008 and 2017. So far this year, six accidents have already been reported.

The road is long and straight and the tarmac is still in good condition, thus tempting drivers to increase speed. There is only one lane and several side streets, including a couple of blind spots. Besides being an arterial road, this is also the biggest road in Għajnsielem, thus posing an immediate danger (besides noise and pollution) to pedestrians and residents.

It is not the first time that a car driving at excessive speed crashed into the façade of a residential house.

If the installation of speed cameras is not possible, at least immediate action should be taken by the authorities to encourage speed reduction. Such measures as better street signage, electronic speed signs, raised humps, a central strip etc should all be considered.

The statistics are there. The facts speak for themselves. Doing nothing is not an option.