‘Dimly Lit And Confusing’ Tal-Balal Roadworks In San Ġwann Raise Fears After Three Lives Lost Over The Weekend
A number of residents and motorists are concerned that Malta’s next major traffic accident might occur at Tal-Balal Road between Naxxar and San Ġwann after a horrific weekend that saw three lives lost on the island’s roads.
All eyes have turned to the constantly shifting lanes on a road notorious for fast speeds and sharp twists and turns. One Għarghur resident told Lovin Malta about the fear he was experiencing exiting his hometown and entering the Tal-Balal road near the roundabout just past the nearby McDonald’s location.
“When you leave Għargħur, you leave scared, because it’s become such a blind spot,” he said. “When leaving the Għargħur road, it’s so easy to find someone speeding from the direction of Naxxar – all they need to do is turn the steering a tiny bit as they approach the small roundabout and they will make it.”
“And even if everyone drives slowly, it’s awkward and misleading,” he continued.
“As for the roundabout near Liquid, that’s a total nightmare”
The resident explained that his girlfriend, who works at Mater Dei Hospital, does not use the Tal-Balal road in its current condition to get to work – even though it leads directly there from their home.
“To go from Għargħur to Mater Dei, it’s not worth driving it, to drive through all of the roadworks,” he said.” Everyone is literally just driving into each other confused; there’s no signage and it’s dimly lit even though they’ve been working on this road for months now.”
Indeed, the fact that the road has been under construction for months at such a quick pace means that the roads are constantly shifting, with no clear sign as to where traffic should go day-to-day.
“Recently I was driving on that road, thinking I was on the right road, and all of a sudden I see headlights driving towards me – the fact that the road is changing every week means that its confusing and you never really know where you are going or which way you should be going”
“Things are moving fast, and the works are needed, but it seems like theres a lack of consultation to speed it up,” he ended. “Politics aside, honestly, to speed up and to see that we are getting things done, with a lack of planning, reasoning, or even some slow down signs… you can feel the element of haste in the work.”
And it’s not just residents who fear another tragic accident on the road
“An accident is about to happen between San Ġwann and Naxxar,” a motorist said on social media following last weekend’s tragic events. “No proper signs and they keep changing them on a daily basis, and it has very poor lights. Minister, if I were you I’d go have a look before you speak! God forbid another fatal accident happens, and yes, you’re to blame for not taking action.”
Another motorist spoke about the road as well. “It’s Tal-Balal’s turn for an incident. I believe the work should be carried out, but in a stipulated timeframe, and there should be some helpful signs to guide drivers,” the person said.
As did a third: “It’s a politician’s responsibility, especially the Minister, to ensure that there’s enough safety measures such as proper lights, signage etc. A decent law enforcement saves lots of lives. Tal-Balal road is a trap at the moment. Not even a single spotlight. How about deploying police officers in such roads and installing a decent speed camera system such as the Truvelo one? Or am I asking too much?”
Another motorist speaking to Lovin Malta also mentioned the lack of police enforcement, complaining about the fact that the policeman who used to direct traffic near the roundabout near Liquid club had now gone, creating further chaos as drivers are forced to drive over the roundabout in question – all without any warning.
Have you passed through Tal-Balal road recently? What did you make of the roadworks?
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