Matthew Xuereb
'Ill-thought and ill-timed'
The legal notice on resident parking schemes was ill-thought and ill-timed and will have a serious negative effect on tourists' mobility and businesses, according to the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.
The association has called on the government to withdraw the legal notice because such a blanket approach would not alleviate parking problems but worsen conditions for residents, non-residents and tourists.
The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) said the legal notice published last week had only enshrined in law residents' parking schemes that already existed in the best part of the 19 localities affected, pointing out that some had been in place for several months, some even since 2001.
The MHRA is predominantly concerned about the Sliema area, which would be hit by a series of new roads being placed under the scheme and would adversely affect businesses and exacerbate lack of parking facilities.
Moreover, parking time allowed in most areas was unreasonable and would cause problems for motorists who needed to visit a particular area for a longer period.
Residents, the MHRA said, had expressed serious concerns on the availability of parking space for visiting family and friends, who would also face problems to park their cars within reasonable walking distances.
"The MHRA calls on the government to immediately withdraw this insensitive legislation until a sound and holistic plan is drawn up for each particular area," it said.
The MHRA hoped common sense would prevail and that "rather than putting the cart before the horse" the country's requirements would be given the importance they deserved.
The ADT said the residential parking schemes implemented by local councils and listed in the new legal notice had all been approved by the authority over the last seven years and had been in force since. "They have now been incorporated in a legal notice to ensure better legal clarity," it said.
The ADT said the aim of parking control in residential streets was to manage limited on-street parking among different users when demand for parking exceeded the supply. A road qualified for a residential parking scheme if the demand for parking exceeds the supply by 70 per cent.
It said it processed and assessed applications for such schemes submitted by local councils based on surveys with detailed information on supply and demand.
The ADT carried out extensive consultations with all stakeholders likely to be affected by the proposed scheme. The business community and residents were the major stakeholders considered during the consultation phase. The final scheme was approved based on the results of the analysis of the surveys and on the outcome of the consultation process.
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Joseph.A.Borda
Jul 18th 2009, 17:44
I total agree with Mr.Darmanin about any new plans for parking in Valletta especially the part where residents fall.I also fully support the Residents Parking Scheme but this should be seriously enforced as in Valletta we still noticing Non residents parking in the spaces allocating for Residents...Please note Valletta Local Council...You are people who suppose take care the residents of Valletta and nobody else....Valletta residents are 2 nd Class type where these schemesexsists....They should find places to park during the day and not after office hours...if they find......so please show us dear Valletta Local Council that you are there for us......People are waiting for this now for the last two years.......
jane camilleri haber
Jul 18th 2009, 15:54
we go to sliema regularly to visit my husband's elderly parents. it is very difficult to park but as it is to become we will need to move the car every hour or so should we be so lucky as to find a parking lot anywhere within 500 meters from their home. what does the adt expect us to do ?. to rush out every hour or so to move our car and scour sliema to find another parking lot during our visit? and should we not find what do we do then? did the adt not consider that many sliema residents are elderly people who need daily and frequent visits by thier offspring? this decision needs to be reversed.
J Oatmon
Jul 18th 2009, 13:26
Angle parking should be introduced in more places (where possible), as it is faster, easier and allows twice as many cars to park along the same stretch of road. The nose to tail parking 'system' should only be used where the roads ar too narrow for angle parking.
I do not understand the reluctance to use this angle parking system in Malta, where the roads are wide enough - is it because it is an American idea, and rarely used in the UK, I wonder.
If roads were planned for angle parking (Tower road for example) double the cars could park safely.
simon camilleri
Jul 18th 2009, 12:12
Having resident parking in residential areas does make sense but why are we introducing resident parking at the commercial centre (Ferries) - how many people actually live there? Why should residents enjoy any particular advantage here?
This scheme seems to be designed to tip the balance against the shops at the Ferries by making it easier for customers to go elsewhere.
I M Dingli
Jul 18th 2009, 11:41
Discrimination at its best!
joseph saliba
Jul 18th 2009, 11:40
we live on the other side of a two storey parking area that can take about two hundred cars. The parking space belongs to a supermarket situated on our side of the road. Our front including the garage is always fully occupied by shoppers no matter the empty parking space across the road. How's that Mr. MHRA? By the way we have no residents' reserved parking scheme.
Chrissey Zammit
Jul 18th 2009, 10:54
This will further affect the Tourism Industry, tourism is already down in Malta. BUT do the goverment care, obviously NOT. It has always been a nightmare to park in Malta this will make it worse for everyone not only tourists.
Tourists want to explore Malta, they want to go to different restaurants at night, NOT easy to do on the buses. If they can do it at all. With the state of the roads the sate of the buses. Sort the infastructure out of Malta before issuing these legal notices. Goverment should wake up and do SOMETHING before you lose more tourists by the hundreds of thousands.
Denis A. Darmanin
Jul 18th 2009, 10:46
I would love to know what new plans could there be for parking in Valletta, especially with the implementation of the Piano Project. I have yet to learn where the cars previously parked in St. George’s Square, Freedom Square and the Great Ditch are to go?
It seems that whenever a project or some squabble arises, as in this case, Valletta residents and anything concerning them, is not on the agenda or is way down in the list.
Obviously, MHRA's concern is for its members. So as a resident of Valletta I fully support the Residents Parking Scheme legal notice. Are we expected to park our cars outside the bastions and then crawl like cockroaches back into Valletta to park our cars when the last outlet or restaurant's patron leaves and the doors are closed? Obviously, these same restaurateurs would then depart to their cozy homes and park their cars in their private garages or driveways. The same argument is raised by the retail shop owners, the offices, those who work in the city, tourist organizations, etc. What has the Valletta Local Council to say about this?
Galea. L
Jul 18th 2009, 10:34
The people expect the counselors and mayors including the ADT to repeal these sham discriminatory and illegal schemes and resign forthwith because of their arrogance and incompetence.
Furthermore, the people expect the Government to withdraw the legal notice and repeal any permits given for such discriminatory parking schemes and Parliament to meet urgently to repeal the powers given to local councils who have already shown their arrogance and stupidity and their blatant disregard of the illegalities and discrimination they have committed.
Anyone collecting signatures for the removal for ever of all local councils will definitely get my signature for they have only served for arrogance, incompetence and absurdities to go to lower levels and the fleecing of citizens.
WE DO NOT NEED LOCAL COUNCILS.
A. Azzopardi
Jul 18th 2009, 10:30
I don't know why all this fuss on residential parking. No one seems to care anyway. People still park on residential parking, we still don't find parking and they don't get fined especially since it is after the working hours of the local wardens...