Mismanagement at ferry ports

The mismanagement at both ends of the Gozo ferry ports knows no bound. The authorities decided to restart works at Mgarr, which had been suspended for months, at the very peak of the summer season.

This resulted first in total traffic chaos. During peak hours, it is taking up to 45 minutes for cars to disembark from the ferry.

The Zewwieqa and Gozo Yacht Marina are being completely sealed off by traffic for very long periods.

These works have also resulted in the closure, for reasons beyond comprehension, of the ticket office at Mgarr. It was said that this is temporary.

For this reason, passengers using the Gozo Channel ferry between Malta and Gozo have been constrained for the past 12 days to buy their tickets from Cirkewwa instead of from Gozo.

As a result many Gozitans, after a day's work in Malta, are missing the boat by a few minutes as they have to queue to buy the ticket.

The situation is worse for cars. During the first week of operation of this temporary service, we witnessed a number of Gozitan passengers missing the ferry literally by seconds.

We also saw cars queuing to get the tickets well ahead of departure time, but eventually missing the ferry due to the long time it took. This notwithstanding that the ferry was not full to capacity.

The closure of the Mgarr ticket office is certainly uncalled for. First of all, the Maritime Authority, or whoever is responsible for the port area, did not order the removal of two 'mobile' bars that are obstructing the way towards the inner port area.

We are, of course, not saying that these should have been moved, but only that together they occupy four times the space of the ticketing booth. So, a little space for a booth six metres by three could certainly have been found.

Could it not have been placed just outside the present entrance to the marshalling area? There is enough space between the entrance to this area and the seemingly bombed access to the temporary parking beneath Fort Chambray. Access via the old quay and around the area where the manager's office stands at the moment is another possibility. A ramp at the end of the quay and a well-defined route to the marshalling area is all that is needed. Is it possible that Gozo Channel sought and did not find a small space where Gozitans could continue to buy their tickets without much hassle?

And back to Cirkewwa, who was responsible for doing away with the parking facilities and restricting the parking in the port area to two hours? This is a perfect example of a Maltese civil servant, of whom there are several, riding roughshod over the exigencies of the Gozitans.

These parking spaces were first and foremost used by Gozitans, who have to cross over to Malta daily for work but who, for economic reasons, leave their cars overnight at Cirkewwa.

These workers and students have to overcome many hardships. Instead of helping them, these civil servants are making their life more difficult.

The parking spaces were also used by those Maltese who cross over to Gozo in the morning for a day's work on the island, and in the evening for a meal at some local restaurant or to attend a function. This measure will, as a result, have an adverse effect on Gozo's fragile economy.

We fully agree with Dr Michael Caruana, president of the Gozo Business Chamber, who described the new parking arrangements as "absolute madness".

The arbitrary way by which this decision was taken is nothing but an attempt from official sources to augment the suffering of Gozitans working in Malta and to stifle business on Gozo.

Our five members of parliament should speak openly about the hardships the Gozitans have been experiencing over the past fortnight. We voted them in as our representatives to defend our rights.