Council steps up pressure for residents' parking scheme

The Floriana local council is threatening to take legal action against the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) if it continues to ignore its request for a residential parking scheme.

The council yesterday sent a legal letter to the ADT. If no reply is received within a week it says it will consider alternative measures, be it resorting to the Ombudsman or taking legal steps.

At a press conference yesterday, Floriana mayor Publio Agius argued that four months had passed since the council submitted its proposals for a scheme that would restrict the length of time non-residents are allowed to park on certain residential streets.

"If the matter is really being studied then four months is more than enough time to take a decision. So why are we being ignored?" Mr Agius asked.

The council already has about 100 parking bays for residents that are time-restricted for other users but is insisting that it needs 500 more spaces from the 3,000 available.

The matter has been raging for some time. When the council threatened to press ahead with the scheme in November, even if the ADT turned it down, the government made it clear it would have no alternative but to apply all the necessary enforcement measures.

Now that the matter has been delayed further, the council has sent a legal letter and is giving the ADT one week to reply.

Mr Agius said that the council's proposal had already received support from the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, which holds that such a move would favour commerce in the area.

The Association of Local Councils has also written to Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett asking him to meet the council as soon as possible to discuss the matter and approve its request, he added.

The council was also complaining that individuals who worked in Floriana could not benefit from the Park and Ride scheme as the stop originally suggested next to the American Embassy had not been approved.