A bus lane on the Gżira front would spell “disaster” and make a “dreadful” situation even worse, a traffic expert warns, though mayors are less critical as no parking spaces will be lost.

Transport Malta announced yesterday that traffic along the Gżira front towards Ta’ Xbiex would soon be limited to a single carriageway.

According to the traffic watchdog, the new arrangement would improve traffic flow at the Manoel Island junction as vehicles approaching from Sliema would no longer have to move from two to one lane.

As a result, the existing bus lane from Tigné to the Ferries will be extended by about 700 metres along the Gżira front but no parking spaces will be lost.

Transport Malta said the design of the bus lane was based on queue and delay surveys, which indicated that one lane would be enough to cater for the traffic demand on the road.

In addition, the new arrangement would eliminate an existing safety hazard at the Manoel Island junction, it said. Works would be carried out at night to minimise traffic disruptions.

It was also announced that in the coming weeks, a new bus lane would be installed in Blata l-Bajda as part of plans to have nine additional bus lanes covering a distance of 3,285 metres.

These works are part of the EU co-financed Modus project, which aims to make public transport more efficient and mitigate traffic congestion.

However, traffic expert and former transport watchdog consultant Hugh Arnett shot down this plan saying it would only make the present “dreadful” situation worse.

An aerial view of the new bus lane from Sliema to Gżira which will be used by public transport vehicles heading towards Ta’ Xbiex. Photo: Transport Malta

“Bus lanes are a silly thing unless you have got a really wide road,” he said. “If they are going to knock out one lane in favour of a dedicated bus lane, it will make life much more difficult for thousands of motorists, unless the service is running on time,” he remarked.

When it was pointed out to him that studies had been carried out, Mr Arnett said such a measure should be introduced for a trial period in the summer months, when traffic in the area was at its peak.

“At face value it is a disaster but it is imperative they give it a month’s trial,” he said.

Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop reacted cautiously, saying one would have to see how the situation unfolded before making a judgement. Mr Chircop blamed the close proximity of pedestrian lights along the front for some of the traffic congestion.

The council wanted some of them to be replaced by pelican lights to have fewer disruptions, apart from ensuring better positioning to improve visibility for commuters.

While welcoming the fact that no parking spaces would be lost, he said the main bottleneck was not the Sliema front but the Manoel Island junction.

Gżira mayor Roberto Cristiano also welcomed the decision not to take up any parking spaces or use part of the front to make way for an additional lane, as had been originally proposed in 2012.

However, he acknowledged that limiting the traffic to a single lane could be a risky measure because it could cause a bigger traffic build-up in Gżira.

“One would need to evaluate the effectiveness of this measure after some time,” Mr Cristiano said.