The Qrendi local council has for years been warning about dangerous driving taking place on its main roads but nobody ever listened, an angry mayor charged after his sister was among five people injured at a bus stop.

One of them was critically hurt but his sister was in stable condition, mayor David Schembri said.

He spoke to Times of Malta after four pedestrians aged between 62 and 88 were hit by a car while they were waiting for a bus on Triq it-Tempesta at 8.45am on Wednesday. 

The police said the driver of a Mercedez Benz lost control of the car and crashed into a parked Toyota Vitz. On impact, the Toyota then hit four women waiting at a nearby bus stop.

We’re not just talking about late-night speeding. This is all day, every day- Qrendi mayor David Schembri

The women, aged 62, 66, 68 and 88, and the Mercedes driver, 44, were taken to hospital, with doctors saying later that the 62-year-old was in a critical condition.

“I want to go public with the issue which we have to deal with daily: dangerous driving on our roads,” Schembri said.

“They’re a group of friends who like to go out together and that is what they were doing. I’m not just speaking out because one of the victims is my sister but because we’ve all had enough.”

The scene of the accident in Qrendi on Wednesday, when four women standing at a bus stop were hit by a car. PHOTO: MALTA POLICE

While shocked, he said the accident had not come as a surprise because the council had warned the authorities for years about the dangerous driving, especially the overspeeding at Triq it-Tempesta as well as on the Mqabba and Żurrieq bypasses.

Schembri said he had personally contacted Transport Malta, the police and LESA calling for speed bumps, speed cameras, a pedestrian crossing or any deterrent that would make the roads safer.

'Like a racing track'

“The road is used like a racing track. You have people hanging out at the Maqluba area who then go to the bypass where they drive excessively fast. Every week, we have a nasty accident and, yet, nothing is done.

“And we’re not just talking about late-night speeding. This is all day, every day. I have been trying to do my best but, apart from the occasional inspections by LESA officers, our warnings have fallen on deaf ears,” Schembri said.

An 81-year-old woman was killed on the same road in March 2021 after she was hit by a car while crossing.

More recently, on September 4, a woman was injured in a collision on Triq il-Qrendi – which abuts Triq it-Tempesta – while riding pillion on a Peugeot motorcycle.

Asked whether the council planned to take the issue further if the traffic authorities refused to act, the mayor said he hoped that going public with the issue would result in action being taken.

Times of Malta has contacted Transport Malta for a comment.

The police have said they are investigating the accident.