As the Park and Ride scheme moves towards the start of operations next month - six months behind schedule - the target date for the introduction of payment for entrance into Valletta has been postponed by two months.

A spokesman for the Roads Ministry confirmed that the scheme through which cars will be charged for entering the capital city, to replace the 'V' licence system, has been postponed from January to March 1.

The reason behind this latest delay is a court injunction filed by one of the bidders who failed to clinch the contract.

Asked how confident the road authorities were that the new target date for the payment scheme would be respected, the spokesman said the Malta Transport Authority had now signed the contract with the operator.

"Both the authority and the operator are committed to this date. There are penalties for the operator should there be any undue delays in implementation," he said.

A recent opinion column in the Times by Johanna Calleja from the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise said a number of companies based in Valletta are planning to relocate because of the expense associated with controlled vehicular access in the capital.

However, the spokesman said the ministry was confident that the charging factor was not the only one taken into account by companies when taking such decisions. Valletta offered several other advantages which made it an attractive location for such businesses.

"One should bear in mind that the system is intended to be advantageous for people entering Valletta by car for short visits, thus guaranteeing a quick turnaround of the limited parking space inside the controlled zone," he said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.