A recently widened roundabout in Żebbuġ is proving to be a slippery obstacle for motorists, as the newly created inner lane is paved with uneven concrete.
Motorists who passed by the roundabout near the De Rohan Arch on Monday said the slippery concrete surface would undoubtedly cause accidents.
One motorcyclist told the Times of Malta that he narrowly escaped toppling over while negotiating the roundabout.
A Transport Malta spokesman said this work was temporary.
“This is to avoid keeping them closed to road users while other works are under way. Road users are being advised to proceed through this area with caution, and to keep to the temporary reduced speed limits.”
The spokesman added that once all structural alterations to the roundabouts were ready, the entire junction’s surface will be replaced with new layers of asphalt to complete the project.
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All works along this route are scheduled to be completed this summer.
Transport Minister Ian Borg announced the widening of two of Żebbuġ’s main roundabouts last week. Dr Borg said the ministry would be spending €500,000 to add bypass lanes to the De Rohan Gate roundabout, while access lanes would be added to the St Dorothy’s School roundabout.
Once building the roundabouts is complete, Mdina Road, which connects the two junctions, will be widened to include an additional southbound lane. One of the lanes in Mdina Road and the service road beside it will be transformed into shared lanes which prioritise cyclists.
Contact sport
Roundabouts in Luqa and Qormi have been widened in recent months. But successfully negotiating these newly configured roundabouts is proving to be a ‘contact sport’ for motorists, as shown by the almost daily yellow markings sprayed on the asphalt denoting a traffic accident.
Transport Malta published a video in May that demonstrated how motorists ought to use the three-lane roundabouts.
Those motorists seeking to leave a roundabout at the first exit after entering should stick to the outer lane.
Those taking the second exit of a roundabout should stick to the middle lane, while those seeking to take the third exit should use the inner lane.
Motorists should indicate in which direction they are going and indicate again when exiting the roundabout.