Planning a car free environment

The car, convenient as it may be, is today recognised as one of the major problems facing towns and cities around the world and all indicators show that the effects of our inability to live without it are likely to get a lot worse in the decades to come.

To combat the issues of congestion and pollution, authorities both locally and internationally, are starting to shut off town centres and historic areas to traffic, allowing people to circulate on foot and enjoy the benefits of a traffic free environment.

To this end, the designers and developers at Tigné Point have sought to minimise the negative effects of traffic by offering residents, visitors and employees at Tigné Point the luxury to enjoy what is set to become the largest pedestrianised urban zone in Malta.

The main benefits of this car free neighbourhood are obvious: cleaner air, less noise, safety for the elderly and children and the fact that both residents and visitors to the Tigné peninsula will appreciate the quality of life in a pollution-free environment.

In order to achieve this, all vehicle and service access routes and parking facilities are situated underground beneath the apartments, offices, retail centre and the piazza, leaving all the street level and gardens on this 30 acre zone totally free of cars and traffic.

A 250-metre dual carriageway tunnel is being built and this will link the Strand to the area opposite the Crown Plaza hotel. At either end of the tunnel, lay-bys will allow cars to enter into a ring road and public car park under Pjazza Tigné or on to the private car parks situated directly below the residential clusters.

The design concept for this new development is set out around a central focal point, Pjazza Tigné. At about 2,500 square metres, Pjazza Tigné is roughly the size of Pjazza Regina in Valletta and, situated as it is directly above a four-storey public underground car park, it is set to become one of the most readily accessible of Malta's many town squares, the developers say.

Pjazza Tigné will have a unique blend of modern and classic architecture and will be bordered on the west façade by the elegant arched colonnade which formerly lined the British barracks and to the north by a contemporary iconic structure housing the offices and business centre. The commercial activity around the pjazza will breathe life into the development and allow the public to enjoy the benefits of the concept with its planned open spaces, café life, boutiques, restaurants and scenic walkways, a spokesman said.

"In many ways, the car free concept at Tigné Point has been designed to redefine the way people live. It will increase the quality of life for residents and visitors alike and promote a more serene, people-centred way of living," the spokesman added.