Hotel representatives in Mellieħa have offered contrasting feedback on the traffic chaos that followed road closures over the weekend.
An accident on 19th October (Saturday) occurred at around 10:30am and caused a major traffic jam in and around Mellieħa, with roads leading into the town severely clogged for hours, before being reopened at around 1.30pm.
Local officials were quick to respond, as Mellieħa Mayor Gabriel Micallef addressed the situation on social media. He assured residents that steps were taken to coordinate emergency responses.
A picture of the accident
Maltese Roads Traffic Updates / Facebook
Mellieħa is primarily accessible via three main roads: Selmun, Miżieb, and Manikata. However, with the Miżieb road closed for several months, Saturday’s crash left only the narrow countryside route through Manikata open, which quickly became overwhelmed, leading to the massive traffic congestion experienced throughout the area.
To make things worse, the northern town also suffered from heavy traffic the following day, when the bypass was closed for a racing event.
Many residents and tourists voiced their frustrations online about the extensive traffic delays over the weekend.
One Facebook user expressed outrage, blaming the closure of the bypass for the racing event that exacerbated the situation. “We had traffic jams of over three hours to get in or out of Mellieħa… all roads – Xemxija, Manikata, and Miżieb closed due to accidents but now, the bypass is closed for racing! This is crazy!” the user wrote.
A representative of the Manikata Residents Association pointed out that narrow roads in areas like Manikata, which were being used as an alternative route, were not capable of handling such volumes of traffic.
Tourist complaints from local hotels
WhosWho.mt reached out to numerous hotels in Mellieħa to gauge whether tourists were impacted by the heavy traffic.
A spokesperson from Maritim Hotel revealed that some guests were indeed affected, calling the situation "a total disaster."
"Tourists mentioned that it took them a very long time to get to their destinations," the spokesperson said, underscoring the severity of the delays.
However, other hotels downplayed the situation. A spokesperson from Solana Hotel & Spa shared that they did not hear any complaints specific to this weekend’s traffic, noting, “Tourists always complain about the traffic, all year round.”
Similarly, Paradise Bay Resort’s spokesperson mentioned that while no complaints were received regarding this incident, traffic delays due to the Gozo ferry queue are a frequent source of frustration among guests.
Four additional hotels contacted by WhosWho.mt stated that they had not received any specific complaints from tourists regarding the traffic this weekend, indicating that while the incident was significant, it may not have had a widespread impact on visitors.
As the local authorities continue their investigation into the accident, questions remain about the impact of road closures for events and the management of traffic flow in and around Mellieħa, especially during busy periods for tourists.
