Minister Ian Borg reveals remedy to save Malta Marathon

Feb 16 2022

Transport Minister Ian Borg has revealed that the government is currently working with the organisers of Malta Marathon to find a solution for the race to proceed as planned.

The marathon was cancelled on Tuesday after it was meant to take place on March 6th. The cancellation occurred after the organising committee clashed with Transport Malta over the proposed route.

The transport minister expressed hope that a solution can be found after he was asked on Wednesday, revealing that work was being done to remedy the disappointment.

‘You can expect more information to be communicated in the coming hours’ said Borg. The first alarm of a possible cancellation or issue with the event was sounded last week when they warned that there was a chance the race would not go ahead due to a lack of COVID-19 safety guidelines. A new route was deemed unsafe by health professionals.

On Tuesday, the committee announced hat the race had been formally cancelled after discussions on the route with Transport Malta reached an impasse. The event organisers said on Tuesday that whilst they fully respect Transport Malta’s authority, they cannot adopt a route that has been declared as unacceptable by Mater Dei’s Emergency Department, the Malta Red Cross and the Malta Traffic Police.

Back in 2019 the Malta Marathon was cancelled due to inclement weather an in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisers said that application and transport fees will be refunded to athletes should the race not go ahead this year.

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Qormi-Mriehel flyover the preferred option says Infrastructure Malta

Feb 16 2022

Infrastructure Malta CEO Fredrick Azzopardi said that a proposed flyover linking the Mriehel bypass to the industrial estate remains the preferred option. Despite this, an alternative suggested by the Qormi local council still being considered.

The plans to create a flyover structure on the Mriehel bypass was put forward by IM in order to create safer access to and from the industrial estate. This was met with opposition by the Qormi local council who urged the agency to drop the plans entirely.

Around 150 residents and farmers in the Qormi-Mriehel area requested the personal intervention of Prime Minister Robert Abela, since land and fields would be taken in order to build the flyover.

The Qormi local council had alternatively proposed a tunnel below the existing road, with IM saying that it was analysing this proposal. Transport Minister Ian Borg spoke on Wednesday, saying that no decision was yet taken on the flyover project. Both the option of the Qormi council and that of Infrastructure Malta are being considered.

Borg said that last weekend he spoke to the Qormi mayor and the they are collaborating very well. He went on to say that the Mriehel underpass excavation works are complete, with the project expected to be complete by mid-year. L-Imdina Road and the Mriehel bypass will be connected via a roundabout underpass, next to the Malta Financial Services Authority offices.

The project is currently entering the second phase, with the Minister revealing that 290 concrete panels will be installed. These will form the walls of the underpass, with Borg saying that the panels were fabricated off site.

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Two charged in court for hold-ups in Convenience shops

Feb 16 2022

Two men have been charged in court in connection with a string of armed hold-ups targeting Convenience shops.

Tyson Bugeja, 26, and David Joseph Bonnici, 34, were arraigned in court this morning by Police Inspectors Lydon Zammit, Stephen Gulia and Sarah Zerafa before magistrate Astrid May Grima.

The two had been apprehended following a police investigation into the armed robberies which targeted a chain of shop outlets in Paola, Zejtun, Zabbar and San Gwann over the last two months.

They were accused of four counts of theft aggravated by violence, means and value, detaining a number of people against their will and slightly injuring one of them. They were also charged for carrying a weapon during the commission of a crime against the person.

Bugeja was also accused of carrying a knife in public without a police permit and breaching conditions imposed by the courts in sentences and bail decrees handed down in the months preceding the robberies.

As for Bonnici, he was additionally charged with committing another hold up at a Convenience store in Zabbar last December. The men pleaded not guilty during their arraignment this morning.

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Traffic jams across Malta after Marsa accident

Feb 16 2022

Following a tragic accident which unfortunately took the life of a food courier in Aldo Moro, Malta’s roads have become one big traffic jam.

After a truck collided with a pole on the road’s central slip and overturning, a motorcyclist from Nepal carrying food was hit by the pole.

The ensuing chaos resulted in many of Malta’s roads getting jammed with vehicles as authorities rushed to address the situation. Ambulances, police, civil protection and other civil services convened on the scene to remove the hazards, address any injuries and manoeuvre traffic.

Officials are advising an added level of precaution for any driver on the road so as to avoid any other complications as the situation is dealt with by those working on ensuring safety on our roads.

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