Residents of George Borg Olivier Street in Rabat have resorted to court action against the authorities which they insist were failing to provide adequate safety.

The residents grouped up to file a judicial protest claiming the pavements were not wide enough and unsafe, especially since the narrow street still had a two-way traffic system.

The protest was filed against Transport Malta, Transport Minister Ian Borg, the director general at the Transport Ministry, Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, Infrastructure Malta, the Local Enforcement System Agency and the Rabat local council. Despite being notified, none of them has yet filed a reply.

The residents’ main argument is that the road is two-way and does not have pavements wide enough to provide adequate safety to them and their families.

To make matters worse, the road, which was being upgraded for the past months, was reopened to traffic at the weekend without being asphalted or even cleaned, resulting in a thick cloud of dust with every vehicle that passes.

“This is clearly an added health hazard and no one is being held accountable,” one irate resident told Times of Malta yesterday. 

“The authorities persist on not making the road safer.

One day there will be another serious accident

“Despite the current reconstruction of the road, the pavements are still very narrow and precedence is given to vehicles rather than pedestrians.

“Some parts of the pavement are barely 50cm wide. One wonders how one can pass with a baby stroller, a wheelchair or on foot without risking being hit by a car. One day there will be another serious accident as has happened in the past just because there is no political will to reroute this shortcut for Dingli residents.”

George Borg Olivier Street in Rabat was reopened to traffic at the weekend without being asphalted or cleaned.

In their judicial protest, signed by lawyer Charlene Gauci and Legal Procurator Davina Sullivan, the residents said the upgrading works by Infrastructure Malta did very little to improve safety.

The width of the pavements did not change and accessibility will remain an issue.

Pushchairs and wheelchairs cannot pass from certain parts of the pavements since these are too narrow, forcing people to take to the street, with the danger of oncoming traffic.

They quoted a legal notice that stipulates a pavement should be between 91.50cm and 110cm wide but the average width of the pavement along the street is 80cm.

In some places, the width goes down to just 20cm.

The residents complained that despite the possibility of using alternative routes for traffic, the authorities are refusing to change the two-way traffic system, to the detriment of people living there, including elderly residing in two homes of the elderly close by.