Road reconstruction projects flout most protocol and good practice – PD

“It is a sad fact that the infrastructure ministry and Transport Malta have bulldozed over the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the Plant Directorate, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, and the Lands Department when it comes to road reconstruction,” Partit Demokratiku (PD) said in a statement yesterday.

“It is high time that whoever is responsible for the tree uprooting rampage that is being undertaken and the new trend of replacing Maltese rubble and dry walls with pre-cast concrete blocks was identified,” it said, adding that the infrastructure ministry may also be using the Emergency Roadworks Order to bypass established protocol, including that relating to the superintendence and environmental impact assessments. PD said it expected Ministers Jose Herrera and Owen Bonnici to speak up on the people’s behalf.

“As the third voice in Parliament, PD demands that technical drawings of all road networks and links be tabled in Parliament and made public, along with any cost-benefit analyses. Citizens and NGOs need to be informed and listened to at the design level, even before the Planning Authority stage.

“PD also asks Minister Ian Borg, who is also responsible for lands in addition to roadworks, whether private land reclamation procedure is being followed to the letter when private property is expropriated for road widening projects, and to state what measures are undertaken to safeguard agricultural land as stipulated in the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED).”

The Marsa flyover project was also proving to be yet another onslaught on mature trees, the party said: “To add insult to injury, certain trees are also being felled and their stumps concealed in the hope that the citizens won’t notice that trees planted in the 1970s have disappeared.

“PD reaffirms its position that widening and opening of roads will solve traffic congestion, as a modal shift to alternative means of transport is not being encouraged in urban and non-urban areas.”

“Let’s stop giving private car dependence priority, as this is drastically affecting our physical environment,” PD said.