Qui-Si-Sana residents feel betrayed

The vitriolic attack on the residents of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana by Reuben Sciberras is obviously politically motivated, as he regurgitates the same arguments and statements used by Minister George Pullicino less than a year ago, with the same complete disregard for facts or people's feelings (Talking Point, November 30)

Mr Sciberras' analysis of the situation is both simple-minded and egoistic. He wants to find easy, free parking. We point out that parking in the Qui-Si-Sana car park will not be free, as he seems to think. He may park very easily right now, in the High Street car park, at a fraction of the price he will pay to park in Qui-Si-Sana!

Qui-Si-Sana is the last remaining open, relatively quiet space in Sliema, frequented by visitors from all over the island. Why should it be turned into a noisy, smelly commercial centre?

There is no need for the car park - the new developments will reduce parking pressure on the area by providing another 2,000 parking slots. This will more than cater for any increase in traffic.

Sliema's real parking problem is in its central and western parts. Qui-Si-Sana is too far away to be of any use to the residents there. However, there is no profit in "helping" those residents so the problem is conveniently ignored.

The road from the Ferries to Tigné Fort is now to be narrowed to single carriageway. An enormous amount of traffic is to be funnelled along this road. The Qui-Si-Sana car park will add further congestion as a traffic light will be necessary to allow cars to turn right to enter. The pelican light at Manoel Island causes enough chaos. This will be 10 times worse.

The closure of Tower Road will leave stalled traffic no choice but to exit Sliema via High Street. The side-streets of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana will also be jammed with gridlocked traffic.

A traffic report commissioned by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority points out this problem. This report is no longer available to the public and the problem seems to have been "forgotten".

The residents of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana had objected to the Car Park from the very start. Despite this, Mepa not only ignored the protests but added an enormous entertainment complex and raised the height of the project by another three metres. The brief has been made far more detrimental, with no discussion on the matter at all.

The passage of over 3,000 cars an hour will seriously affect the quality of our lives. The car park exhaust vents are to be placed at ground level along the pavement, a mere four metres away from our front doors. Whatever Mr Sciberras tells us, our health is going to suffer badly.

In direct contravention of EU law, Mepa has refused to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment on the car park and has also categorically denied access to surveys and reports connected to the project. The reason for this secrecy is not hard to guess.

Improper traffic management has brought about the depopulation of Valletta. Now the same inappropriate policies are being applied to Sliema, with traffic levels being positively encouraged to rise.

We too look forward to a reduction of traffic in Sliema. However this should be brought about by professional, modern, traffic management, not by the half-baked, counterproductive measures that Mr Sciberras and his friends are determined to see foisted on the people of Sliema.

The sheer arrogance of the government and the antics of the Nationalist members of the local council have shocked the people of Sliema and left a deep sense of betrayal in the residents of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana.

Mr Sciberras sneeringly tells us we do not count. Just how dispensable we are will be made clear in a few months' time.