Valletta still choking on CVA fumes

Following the misleading diatribe against me (Reviving Valletta, January 26), readers of The Times deserve a point by point reply. I quote directly from the website of the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads, from the Mepa website and from the relevant article with all quotes in inverted commas.

"The Valletta Strategy published and approved by the government in 2006 had, as one of its objectives, that of increasing accessibility of the capital city and enhancing the commercial function of the oldest and most established central business district in Malta but also to reduce the congestion and parking problems of the city. In doing so it also aimed at reducing pollution."

"The Controlled Vehicular Access system in Valletta has reached its primary objective: that of reducing on-street parking for long periods during the week on Valletta's commercial and residential roads."

"Figures gathered so far reveal that there was an increase of 32 per cent in vehicles visiting Valletta for less than an hour and an increase of 34 per cent in vehicles entering Valletta for less than half an hour."

"For the first time, the CVA is offering access into Valletta to about 270,000 vehicles. Previously, only 30,000 vehicles bearing the V licence could enter the capital."

In increasing accessibility to more cars, the CVA has inevitably increased pollution. Could the authorities please explain how it is possible for the air quality of Valletta and Floriana not to deteriorate with a 32 per cent increase in the number of cars entering Valletta for less than an hour and an increase of 34 per cent in vehicles entering Valletta for less than half an hour - an overall increase of 66 per cent?

Contrary to what was said in the article, that the closest air monitoring station is in Msida, according to the Mepa website there are two fixed air monitoring sites in Valletta: one in Republic Street and the other in Melita Street. Moreover, there is another in St Anne Street, Floriana.

The most recent Mepa air quality monitoring results available to the public are those for July 2007.

These show that, two months after the introduction of the CVA system, six out of the eight pollutants listed on the Mepa website air-monitoring review (benzene, ethylbenzine, mp-xylene, SO2, O3, NO2 and oxylene) had increased in intensity in either Valletta or Floriana or both, as compared to July 2006. While it is a fact that traffic is not the sole contributor to these airborne pollutants, fuel emissions are a significant contributor.

The Malta Media news states: "In the 10 days since the controlled vehicular access scheme was introduced in Valletta, 33,000 individual cars entered the capital city. Since the V licence was abolished, the limit of cars that could access Valletta was broken".

It is important to note here that the July 2007 Mepa air quality control readings date to the early days of the CVA system, before people had grown fully confident with the system and started accessing Valletta as often as they liked paying as little as possible or nothing at all.

It was pointed out that responsibility for the negative effect that this unresearched project will inevitably have on the health of Valletta and Floriana residents as well as on those who work there can be attributed, shared and apportioned to various bodies and namely "the Cabinet Committee for National Projects, the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads, the ADT, and the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure".

It is indeed difficult to attribute changes in pollution levels to any one particular cause especially in a harbour area. I would therefore have expected a serious approach by the bodies concerned, which have the resources and the personnel paid for by the taxpayer, to set about installing the mechanisms necessary to gauge any changes in pollution levels.

This should have been done prior to initiating the project.

However, the perception of residents that the circulation of traffic has increased and, consequently, air quality has declined since the introduction of the CVA in Valletta is a tool that must not be ignored and, if necessary, should be backed up by the assignment, by the ministries and bodies concerned, of an intelligent and qualified individual to watch and study the Mepa air quality monitoring system of the three fixed sites in Valletta and Floriana specifically.

"Most reserved parking within the CVA zone has also been removed." This begs the question why the reserved parking has not yet been abolished a full eight months after the introduction of the CVA system and whether there is, in fact, the will to eliminate them.

This is not to mention all the cars of the Ministry for Investment, Industry and Information Technology that park abusively on the no parking stretch of pavement in Strait Street on a daily basis.

Moreover, so many concessions had to be made, admittedly essential if one is not to paralyse the city and its residents, that all the traffic which went round Valletta on the V licence is still going round Valletta now free of charge, except that, since May 2007, they have been joined by the 270,000 other vehicles which can now also enter Valletta. Rather than crowing about new records on cars entering Valletta, it would be far preferable for the Ministry for Urban Development and Roads to consider the effect of increased toxic emissions on Valletta's residents and heritage buildings.

Maybe Cleavon Vella should check his own and other government websites, my sources, before flinging accusations of misinformation, sweeping statements and misconceptions! He might also find the EU strategy, which aims to extend clean air laws into new sectors - agriculture and transport - educational and most illuminating.