John Fenech, San Ġwann
Reserved parking and XXL spaces (1)
The Malta Transport Authority 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 qualifies for a residential parking scheme if the demand for parking exceeds the supply by 70 per cent.
Street parking as a rule is to accommodate business parking zones, garages, special reserved bays, pedestrian crossings, parking bays, bus stops and no parking spaces. This combination in certain localities will occupy all available parking spaces!
On top of this, there's the daily organised traffic confusion due to construction work on open-ended schedules or roads closed for hours on end to accommodate loading or unloading of building material. The chaos created by the waste collection trucks or the gas delivery agent will exasperate even those with the most placid disposition!
However, are all the reserved spaces justified? For instance, the loading/unloading time frames should be relative to the business activity. It is unreasonable to reserve a space for seven hours a day, six days a week! On the other hand, it is selfish and unreasonable for adjacent business premises to each have a reserved front space.
Another bright idea is that in some localities yellow lines incorporate the garages and adjacent houses, which transform the whole street into a no-parking zone. While garages that are utilised as stores or workshops, and were never used to park a car, are privileged with a no-parking constraint. The cherry on the cake are yellow lines extending by one metre on each side of the garage, allowing the owner extra-extra large space!
Therefore, to reduce abuse and free up precious parking space, parking permit requests must be scrutinised for validity by the local councils and periodically checked to authenticate proper use. In addition, the council should catalogue all the garage permits and check that those that are violating the permit regulation will not be entitled to a no-parking concession.
Therefore, if our enthusiastic traffic custodians would eradicate favouritism and ensure that the law is equal to all, then the exasperated drivers should find more parking spaces and pay fewer fines for illegal parking. Although this might not be of good news to the warden keepers, the local councils will earn the respect of the community.
And business activity will benefit through efficient organised parking as it saves the customer's time in search of the elusive parking slot! In addition, those so diligently concerned about our needs will avoid sleepless nights in search of solutions to our daily frustration!
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john fenech
Aug 13th 2009, 14:02
Mr Dingli I am being real to open the average garage door in a normal street one does not need to be a nuisance. In my comment, I did suggest the civil way to garage the car, which in your enthusiasm you must have missed. Therefore, I will repeat, if the car is parked along the pavement until the driver open the garage door then drive the car sufficiently forward so that he can reverse into the garage and then closes the garage door, the obstruction will be minimal. That is unless the garage door is operated remotely which will eliminate any nuisance.
However, all this is beside the point, which was the extra meter on each side of the garage. Except in very rare occasions, the extra metres are wasted unless the car is a hatchback and the driver exit from the back or a coupe and the driver exit via the bonnet! By the way Mr. Dingli do you enjoy the extra parking space?!
I M Dingli
Aug 13th 2009, 08:44
@ John Fenech
As if it would just take two minutes to open a garage and park your car! I guess you never had to wait behind someone doing that with that nonchalance attitude and don't you dare bring things to his/her attention cause you've had it. U ejja Sur Fenech, be real!
John fenech
Aug 12th 2009, 13:16
Mr. Cachia, therefore, you need just two minutes to open the garage door, then that extra space for the remaining 23 hours 58 min * 7 days, will remain unavailable. Which in your altruistic opinion is justifiable? As if parking space in Malta is unlimited!
On the other hand, if you park at the kerb close the car door until you open the garage door renter the car and garage it, you would not be blocking the street. I believe that is the responsible way to go about garaging the car, extra space in the front and the back of the car is wasted or reduced from another parking space. If the road is narrow, the space is required opposite the garage.
As regard, parking bays there exist standard parking space dimensions, which should be the template for all the Local Councils and must be enforced by the local authorities, although enforcement is very tricky to achieve on these Islands!
vincecachia
Aug 12th 2009, 09:55
Mr. Fenech garages ARE entitled for at least a metre on each side of their door especially in narrow roads!! The rule was that of one and a half times the length of their car so that one can park in front until one opens the door, not to block the street! Now the councils are changing everything and the ADT does not care. You can also find tvelve feet bays which only serves for a mini!!!