The Opposition is disappointed with the Gibraltar Government’s recently-announced traffic plan yesterday, describing it as a re-hash of old proposals motivated by a political agenda, rather than an effective strategy to address chronic congestion in Gibraltar.

Gilbert Licudi MP, the GSLP’s spokesman on traffic, said the government had ignored looming problems for years and was now trying to rush through numerous projects ahead of the next election.

The huge disruption created by all these projects taking place at the same time could have been avoided with proper planning and political commitment, he said.

Mr Licudi recognised that any road-building project would lead to disruption, but he said the inconvenience to the public could have been minimised by staggering the schemes rather than doing them all at the same time.

“Having neglected the traffic and parking problem for twelve years, the government has now embarked in a mad rush to complete all these projects in the last two years of its term,” Mr Licudi told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

“This suggests that the government is motivated more by electoral considerations rather than a real desire to address an acute problem at an early stage.”

Most the projects in the government’s plan are slated for completion by 2011, in time for the next general election.

Depending on their impact on vehicle flow – Mr Licudi was not convinced that key schemes like the Trafalgar Roundabout would be that beneficial – traffic management could become a major electoral issue.

“Potentially, this could be a massive issue if they don’t get it right by the next election,” he said.

“Next time they will be judged on the practical results, not on promises.”

The Opposition MP said Gibraltar’s traffic problem had worsened in recent years to the point where traffic regularly came to a standstill in many areas of Gibraltar.

The GSLP/Liberals, he said, were in favour of any proposals aimed at resolving those problems.

“It is our sincere wish that our scepticism is misplaced,” he said.

“But at the moment it is a disappointment, primarily because of the track record and the promises that have been made in the past which have simply not materialised or have taken a long time.”

Among many other examples, Mr Licudi referred to “the saga” of Dudley ward Tunnel, which has remained closed since a fatal accident in 2002.

He said proper planning and transparency had been “visibly lacking” in relation to this project, which is now under way and scheduled for completion in 2010.

The project coincides with major work in Devil’s Tower Road, further adding to

motorist’s woes, he said.

The Opposition also accused the government of breaking promises and spinning facts in relation to other schemes.

One example: According to the GSLP, the GSD had promised 400 new parking spaces in the Midtown development at the time of the last general election, where its traffic plan now envisages 100 spaces.

“What has happened to the other 300 spaces?” Mr Licudi asked yesterday. “They seem to have vanished into thin air.”

Another example: The government, Mr Licudi said, had promised to build new roads “on a massive and unprecedented scale”, but its traffic plan contained no commitment to this end. The new roads it described, he said, were either completed schemes or projects that were already under way.

Mr Licudi would not be drawn on the Opposition’s own ideas for traffic management, other than to say that if in government, it would carry out an extensive and urgent assessment to develop a forward-looking strategy based on the situation at the time.

“We can’t look into a crystal ball and see what the position will be like in two years time,” he said.

In the meantime, he said it was not enough for the government to make statements in a traffic plan or in a glossy manifesto.

The traffic and parking problem is a very visible one which affects motorists on a daily basis,” he said.

“It is practical results, not just in building new facilities but on the effect of these facilities in easing congestion and allowing traffic to circulate with ease, which will determine whether the government can claim any success in its traffic and parking strategy.”