Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia has suggested that Malta’s roads should be widened even further to reduce the high number of traffic accidents.
There have been more road fatalities in the first five months of 2022 than there were during the whole of 2021.
Facing calls to improve road safety, Farrugia told Bis-Serjetà:
“The problem is very clear: despite recent infrastructural upgrades, Malta’s roads are still too narrow. This is causing cars to crash into each other. The solution is to give cars more space. Where possible, roads should have at least four lanes in each direction so that cars can safely swerve out of the way of incoming danger.”
The Minister said that land reclamation was one way to create such additional space.
“Many people will find that idea controversial, but you can’t be angry about excessive road deaths and then complain when we fill in the sea off Xgħajra to create a new highway.”
Farrugia also pinned the blame for road accidents on alternative modes of transport.
“When a Maltese car driver sees someone using a bicycle or e-scooter, or God forbid, walking, they understandably become agitated, which in turn causes them to speed away from the upsetting sight as fast as they can.”
Asked if the Government has any plans to launch an educational campaign to encourage motorists to stick to the speed limit, Farrugia said:
“I don’t believe the state should act like an overbearing parent. If we tell people to slow down, they might get angry and not vote for us, which would be a far greater tragedy than a few road deaths.”
