Two hours to go around the block during Sliema feast traffic

It took one Sliema resident two hours to drive around the block on Saturday night, as feast celebrations brought parts of the town to a standstill. 

Drivers were caught in gridlock in and around Sliema on Saturday evening, as the feast of Madonna tas-Sacro Cuor was celebrated with a concert and a march through the streets surrounding the parish church.

The traffic built up as the Philharmonic Society of Sliema prepared to hold its Brass Vibes concert at the Sliema Ferries. Cars were soon backed up along the seafront and nearby streets, with several residents saying they saw little or no traffic management.

One Sliema resident told Times of Malta, “ It took me two hours to go round the block.”

The resident was on his way to an event in the Three Cities when he became stuck in traffic. He said it took him two hours to drive from  Triq Tigné , down Triq St' Antnin and back.

He said he did not see police, LESA officials or Transport Malta officers throughout the time he was stuck in traffic.

“From what I could see, if someone needed an ambulance, they wouldn’t have managed to get one. “

Another resident said they had the same concern during a two-and-a-half-hour wait in traffic.

“It occurred to me that if someone needed an ambulance, there was no way they would have gotten access to one.”

They said they only saw three police officers near Giorgio’s café at the Ferries throughout the time they were waiting.

Another woman wrote online that her drive from Sliema to Malta International Airport took longer than a flight from Greece to Malta. She said she left Sliema at 7.45pm and arrived at the airport at 9.50pm. A flight from Greece to Malta usually takes about one hour and 45 minutes to two hours.

She also said she saw motorcyclists driving along the promenade to escape the traffic.

Frustrated residents also took to social media, including Sliema residents’ pages, to ask why they had not been better informed about the disruption and why more officers were not present to manage the traffic.

Sliema local councillor Pierre Portelli said the council had usually coordinated meetings with stakeholders before major feast events.

“For the past years, SLC always coordinated meetings with all stakeholders involved and the police would schedule such meetings prior to every feast. For reasons unknown SLC was never notified about a meeting prior to the first feast organized in Sliema.”

Sliema local council had issued a list of road closures for Sunday, including the closure of Triq San Trofimu throughout the day.

It also said Triq il-Karmnu, Triq Rudolfu, Triq Manwel Dimech, Triq Sant’Elena, Triq San Karlu, Triq Falzon and Triq Leone would be closed until 2pm.

Triq Rudolfu, from Triq San Trofimu to the police station, the square in front of the station, Triq Manwel Dimech and Triq San Ġużepp were due to remain closed until 1am.

Transport Malta was contacted for comment but did not reply by time of publication.