Comments and Recommendations to Council on the Traffic Management Request Report- Transport Malta
Ralph Cassar
Presented to Council, 27/06/2012
Our original request, following a motion I presented and which was approved in November 2011, was to declare all residential roads 30kph zones in line with recommendations in, amongst other sources, the Koch Report (European Parliament), a copy of which was presented to Council.
Particular reference was made to traffic calming in Triq il-Linja, Triq Tursin ir-Rih, Triq is-Sienja and Triq Victor Vassallo.
Transport Malta
Triq Hal Warda, Triq il-Pitkali.
All Village Core: Triq il-Kbira, Triq San Anton (from c/w Triq il-Kbira to c/w Triq il-Linja), Triq B’Kara (from c/w Triq San Anton to c/w Triq il-Gonna), Triq il-Gonna, Triq il-Mithna, Triq San Duminku, Pjazza Sant Anna, Triq ir-Rand, Triq Sant’Anna, Triq il-Mosta (in village core), Triq Haz-Zebbug, Triq Hal Qormi, Triq il-Knisja, Triq il-Belt Valletta, Misrah Tumas Dingli, Triq Santa Marija, Pjazzetta and all alleyways.
Other speed limits recommended by TM are:
Those outside village core (except Pitkali and Warda) 40kph.
Comments:
Even without an explicit 30kph limit in the village core – roads are so narrow that moving at more than 30kph is practically impossible. This does not mean that the speed limit should not be pointed out and, if possible enforced, but the aim of the original proposal was to make ALL residential roads (the non-feeder and non-arterial roads) safer for pedestrians, encourage the concept of ‘shared space’ and make roads more attractive to people who would like to consider cycling within the whole of Attard.
The Tal-Fuklar area, Misrah Kola area and the Ta’ Fgieni area are all small, short and purely residential roads which with minimal road markings can easily be marked as ‘30kph home zones’.
In the meantime, traffic calming measures have been introduced in Triq Tursin ir-Rih. Triq Victor Vassallo is too wide and encourages speeding. Although draft plans to make the road safer have been drawn up by Council, the size of the road probably makes any meaningful intervention from Council funds too costly. Transport Malta
Triq il-Linja – especially the part from c/w Triq il-Mosta to c/w Triq l-Gharix is another road which urgently needs traffic calming measures- these can include a pavement all along the industrial estate’s wall together with chokers – that is pavement extensions at midstreet locations that narrow a street by widening the pavement.
Triq is-Sienja is another street which needs seeing to.
The 40kph blanket limit for all residential streets (except those mentioned above) defeats the whole purpose of the initial Council proposal. Just one case in point is Triq Sant’Anton (TM want it a 40kph street) – this street is narrow and leads to a popular public garden (San Anton). The nature of the street (tree lined, and very attractive for walking etc.) makes it the perfect candidate for it to be a 30kph road.
Having said that, some improvements can still be made and hence I recommend:
- Getting expert help in preparing traffic calming proposals for Vassallo, Linja and Sienja.
- Getting expert help in preparing traffic calming measures in Pitkali and Warda – the only two roads out of the core approved to have a limit of 30kph.
- Implement immediately the 30kph in the areas approved by TM (signs at the entrances to the village core should be enough – I would not recommend a clutter of signs in the historic core, speed limit painted on the road surface would be better). Maybe new signs should be considered – basically declaring the zone a ‘shared space’ (see below and get TM approval).
- Keep pushing for 30kph ‘home zones’ in Fuklar, Fgieni and Misrah Kola.
- Continue the policy of installing bike racks, clearly signed and preferably raised pedestrian crossings.
- Shelters near bus stops.
- The area around the housing estate be declared a home zone – with a 30kph limit – the streets have no pavements and hence there is a real need for this measure.
