Road safety has to be revisited
On Monday evening, two people lost their lives and scores more were injured on what should have been a fun excursion around Malta’s main sights.
The accident involving a tourist bus – an open-topped double-decker – shocked the country to the core not only because of the sheer number of casualties, but also because of the extremity of the injuries caused.
A magisterial inquiry is set to find out exactly what caused the horrible accident. When this happens, the most important thing is that all necessary steps are taken to ensure that such a senseless tragedy never repeats itself.
From the information available so far, it is difficult to say what happened exactly. Photos taken at the site yesterday seem to indicate that the bus veered to close to the crash barrier and was, as a result, closer to the tree than it should have been. Some sources have said that there might have been something in the middle of the road which caused the driver to swerve to the left.
Some have pointed out that these buses are too large for our roads, others that trees are often a hazard to large vehicles.
This is not the first time that a vehicle has collided with a tree with fatal consequences. Earlier this year, in January, a young Romanian couple died when a tree,
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uprooted by a powerful storm, fell onto their car. It was recently reported that many trees on that stretch of road remain in a precarious state to this day.
The question here is: who is responsible for the upkeep of roadside trees, and is enough being done to prevent such tragedies? The trees on Saqqaja Hill, for example, are dangerous. They jut out onto the road and there are no crash barriers. Just yesterday a commercial van ploughed into one of them, ripping off part of its rear compartment.
But this is not just about trees. Overhead wires can be just as deadly, if not more so. People who have been on open-topped buses during football celebrations will tell you that electrical wires, in many places, are too low. In some cases, the people standing on top of the buses have to push the wires out of the way with their hands as the vehicle passes beneath them. It is difficult to believe that something like this would happen in modernday Malta but it is, unfortunately, a reality.
We believe that following yet another tragedy, road safety in general has to be revisited. Roads are an intrinsic part of our everyday lives and all efforts should be made to render them as safe as possible.
Certain roads still lack crash barriers, proper signage and road markings. Our roundabouts, with over-the-top landscaping that reduces visibility are also potential accident-makers. Road surfaces, manholes, culverts and storm drains are other features that, when not maintained properly, can cause accidents.
Other issues that may need to be reassessed are speed limits and additional speed cameras.
The problem is that there are too many different entities involved in the upkeep of our roads, including Transport Malta (TM), local councils, the Water Services Corporation and Enemalta. Then there is the issue of enforcement, which falls under both the Malta Police Force and TM.
The positive thing is that a roads agency will be set up this year. The agency is mainly being created to oversee the ambitious government programme of rebuilding all of Malta’s roads within a seven-year period. But it will also be responsible for all road maintenance and infrastructure. One would hope that the new agency brings all stakeholders together under one umbrella to ensure that road safety no longer remains as fragmented as it is now and all efforts are made to make our roads safer.
Lastly, praise should be given to our rescue personnel for their service, dedication and professionalism shown in such difficult circumstances.