Parking at the Ferries

I live on the Strand, in Sliema, just across the road from where the Captain Morgan boats depart. Rows of coaches line up along the road blocking one of the lanes of a busy road every single day of the week at about 5 p.m. and this causes traffic problems.

As we all know parking in Sliema is extremely problematic and in short supply. All buildings in Sliema must now have underground garages in order to try and free up more parking.

However, most blocks of flats are only built with one parking space per flat and most flats have more than one car. The problem of parking is compounded by the fact that the majority of offices and almost all shops in Sliema do not have garages and their employees obviously need to park somewhere nearby to get to their workplace. You may wonder what is being done about this problem.

Well, the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) came up with the bright idea of painting big yellow parking bays all along the harbour side of the road, starting from the bus stop at the Ferries all the way until the place where all the bars and restaurants lining the road finish. There is a sign above these parking bays warning that there is no stopping or parking in these spaces between 8.30 and 10 a.m. and from ...-... & ...-... (there was also a time between 12.30 and 2 p.m. which has now been removed) except for alighting and boarding these coaches.

These coaches now park in these parking bays as well as parking in one lane of the street during peak times (5 p.m. onwards) and therefore one lane of the street still remains closed.

These parking bays were introduced without the consultation of the residents of this street. I parked on that side of the street last Friday as there was no parking on the other side of the road. I have to be at work in Swatar at 9 a.m. and it normally takes under 10 minutes to drive there. However, if I now park on that side of the road, I have to leave my house before 8.30 a.m. otherwise I will risk getting a ticket.

I left my house at 8.40 a.m. The only vehicles parked in those yellow bays were my car and two minivans, with not a single coach to be seen. To my dismay, I found a ticket on my car from an ADT employee. I approached the employee and tried to explain to him that I live across the road and that the reason my car, which had been parked there from the night before, was still there was because I had to take this important phone call before work and that I was moving my car now and considering that almost all of the parking bays were empty, asked if he could take back his written, paper ticket.

The reply I got was the following: "I don't care. It does not matter that you are a resident and that your car has been there since the night before. If you park (there) for five seconds after the (stated) time I will give you a ticket".

That afternoon I noticed that during one of the stated times, along with all the coaches parked in the bays, there was a Captain Morgan car without a ticket. I went downstairs to ask the ADT employee on duty why he had not given the Captain Morgan car which had been parked there for the last hour a ticket.

He replied "Captain Morgan cars have permission to park". I asked why, with all the parking these coaches have now been given, can they still park in the street (some of them for over an hour) blocking one lane of the main road without being given a ticket. He replied: "Where do you want them to park? I can't give them a ticket, imsieken". One of the bus drivers then informed me that the fine was Lm45! That is what I earn in a week teaching English at a language school.

This must be the only country in the world which would prohibit residents of this street from parking across the road from their house to facilitate the business of a private company.

I know people would be asking what the solution could be. Letting Sliema residents park there, at least in the mornings, without risking getting a ticket.

Reducing the number of parking bays that the coaches can park in from 20 (roughly 1,000 passenger capacity on these coaches and enough space for 40 cars if parked instead) to five coach bays plus space for two minivans (nearly 300-passenger capacity which is more than one single boat holds) and this would free up parking for at least 20 cars.

Another solution would be preventing the buses from parking there for long stretches and instead ensure they are only allowed to park for 15 minutes in order to drop off and pick up passengers. If this does not fit in with the departure times of the boats, stagger the departure times.

If they need to wait around somewhere close by they could wait at Manoel Island.

Better still would be for no coaches to be allowed to park there and dropping off all the tourists at Manoel Island allowing them a five-minute walk along the picturesque front.

Create an area for Captain Morgan boats to depart from Manoel Island and have all boats depart from there!

If the ADT will not do something about this can the local council kindly do something if it has the interests of its residents at heart?