Parking problems at Vittoriosa

Several letters have appeared in the press about parking schemes introduced by local councils, and the necessity to provide sufficient and adequate parking for residents and visitors.

That there is an appeal pending in a court case about this problem highlights the fact that the law should be clarified or amended appropriately. Few may realise that residents suffer discrimination when they find it impossible to park their cars in their home town or village, especially after returning from a day's work.

Do residents have to sell their cars or park in outlying uninhabited areas (where available), a long walk from their homes, at the risk of having their cars vandalised?

There would be ample space for parking the leisure-seekers' cars. Valletta, Floriana and Pieta' seem to have made headway in solving this problem.

In these localities, most cars leave at around 5 p.m. when their owners finish their day's work.

Not so at Vittoriosa where the congestion increases and becomes desperate and chaotic in the late afternoons because of extensive parking by employees and patrons of leisure outlets and wine bars which are mushrooming in this historic town.

Provision for parking was made when the Valletta Waterfront was established, but it appears that this problem was overlooked or unforeseen by those responsible for planning. Someone should be accountable for the alarming situation and remedy this sorry state of congestion.

If the trend of licensing more wine bars and leisure outlets continues, it may soon be a free for all and people will continue to park in front of garages, adding to the annoyance and frustration of residents. Does the local council have to declare that some streets in Vittoriosa are reserved for residents' cars, similar to the restricted entry system in Mdina?

It would be appropriate if business outlets and developers got together to provide adequate parking or a park-and-ride system for their employees and patrons.

Residents cannot be expected to park their cars a good 20 or 30 minutes' walk from their homes; we should have enough space to park in the town where we live.

It is the duty of councils to 'protect' their residents and safeguard their well-being. The council's efforts should not be hindered or undermined by those who do not feel the pinch.