Matthew Xuereb
Move to exempt tourists from residents' parking scheme
Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco has taken an initiative to exempt tourists staying in Sliema hotels from the controversial residential parking scheme if they are driving a rented car.
The parking scheme, which has not yet been implemented, will slash the number of parking bays available for non-Sliema residents by 50 per cent. The initiative steered by the local council has met with a chorus of disapproval, the first to complain being business owners and hoteliers.
To counter this, Dr de Marco launched discussions with the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) in an effort to exempt tourists driving hired cars from the residential parking rules.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Dr de Marco confirmed that discussions were underway with the aim of striking the right balance between the needs of residents and those of the tourism industry.
"The idea behind the discussions is that a tourist residing in a Sliema hotel and making use of a rented vehicle should be considered as a Sliema resident for the duration of his stay in that hotel.
"We need to find a balance between the needs of residents while addressing the concerns being raised by the commercial and tourism operators in the area."
Sliema is one of 19 towns and villages where reserved parking zones for residents have been approved by the Malta Transport Authority (ADT).
According to the residential parking scheme being proposed by the local council, residents can park in 50 per cent of the parking bays along any given street without any time restrictions.
The rest will have a two-hour restriction between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Where parking is available on both sides of the street, one side will be reserved exclusively for residents. On the other side, both residents and visitors may park but the latter will have a two-hour time restriction. Dr de Marco's initiative comes at a time when the ADT plans to expand the scheme to cover all the town's 117 roads.
The proposed scheme was shot down by the Sliema Residents Association which argued that it would not do anything to solve the town's parking problems.
It said the scheme was "a rather lopsided fix that falsely appeared to favour residents but instead seemed to be another half-baked and ill-considered short-term solution".
Several residents also complained that the scheme might solve their parking problem but would create an even bigger headache for visiting relatives, who would have to shift their cars every two hours.
Residents of other localities have also complained, saying that since they pay the same road tax everybody should receive similar treatment.
This is the battle cry of Swieqi resident Joseph Borg, who plans to take the issue to court on the basis of discrimination.
In 2007, Mr Borg obtained a court decision in his favour which declared the residents' parking scheme in Pieta illegal because the council had not obtained the ADT's approval.
But speaking to this newspaper last week, Sliema's new mayor Nikki Dimech defended the scheme and insisted the residents were on his side. He said the proposed scheme needed fine-tuning and hoped to find a "win-win solution".
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Galea. L
Aug 17th 2009, 09:24
M.Borg
Yes Borg, I do because the more people become aware that the system is discriminatory and that they should stand up for their rights and not allow them to be trampled upon by the authorities the more they shall secure their rights. As for having anything against the Sliemizi no they are mostly writing in favour of the scheme because they expect to be treated better than the rest of the citizens who pay exactly the same road tax as if they are some God-given gift to society and the rest are children of a lesser God.
C.ZARB
Aug 17th 2009, 07:57
@ M Borg.
As long as I know this article is about residential parking in Sliema. And Sliema is the only shopping hub in Malta whose trying to implement residential parking in all its streets.
Joseph Schembri
Aug 16th 2009, 20:22
@Mario Tabone-Vassallo: You make a very valid point dear Doctor.
Meanwhile, notwithstanding your beautiful Maltese ( I sometimes read your contributions in il-Mument and heard you speak many times on radio) why don't you use English in an English language message board? I am sure you write perfect English and apart from that it would be courteous to use English for people who do not understand our native tongue.
I trust that you are keeping well.
Joseph Ciantar
Aug 16th 2009, 18:49
A very interesting scenario can come out of the system of reserving parking spaces in a locaility to the residents. Let's suppose for a moment, and for the sake of argument, that all the local authorities on the islands adopt this subterfuge to solve the problem of the lack of availability of parking lots, it would follow that vehicles would be eligible to drive in their locality only, and cannot roam anywhere else because they would not be allowed to park, unless multi-story parking facilities are provided in each and every locality.
jnebejer
Aug 16th 2009, 17:55
Obscenely discriminatory.
Why don't you allow only those who just prove to have money to spend or intention to do so, then? And then, not all tourists do spend money - so better make a spending capacity threshold to be able to park there, maybe issueing prepaid spending coupoons.
Whoknows some of those locals might play the wise guy and hire a car and come to visit his a relative and stay more than two hours.
M.Borg
Aug 16th 2009, 17:29
@ C ZARB
Residents parking is not only in Sliema . It is in 19 other localities and in 300 streets. Why do you and evrybody complain only against Sliema. Do you have something against the Slimizi.
@ Galea L
You have been telling everybody to defy the system over the past days now. Do you have to keep on writing the same thing over and over ?
Richard Curmi
Aug 16th 2009, 17:20
Oh, so now you are even going to discriminate between tourists. Yeah, very nice move Dottor, it goes to prove what a half-baked solution this law will be? Dear Dr.de Marco tell the sliema council that first they have to provide alternative parking then implement this system. Nothing less is acceptable otherwise
C Buttigieg
Aug 16th 2009, 17:18
I know that Malta depends on tourism but isn't it a real disgrace that people are trying to get things worked out for tourists in this stupid scheme and no one has mentioned one single thing about people who work in Sliema. Before anyone starts commenting on my comment I do not work in Sliema and do not have anyone in my family working in sliema, but i just think that it is totally unfair that we always think about the foreigner and forget our own people. Personally I am not effected as I will just have to go shopping and enjoying myself somewhere else but if you work there then you cannot avoid it.
Joe Tabone-Adami
Aug 16th 2009, 16:12
Hare-brained schemes, dear Parliamentary Secretary, are just that - and definitely not meant to make us laugh!!
Galea. L
Aug 16th 2009, 14:04
The non-residents are not only being made second class citizens when compared with the residents but now also third class citizens after tourists.
THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Any reserved or restricted parking is DISCRIMINATORY and therefore ILLEGAL.
Defy the system and don't let the local councils and now the central government trample on our rights.
C.ZARB
Aug 16th 2009, 13:33
Stop complaining and start using your vote better. Tell the Nationalist MPs to go get votes from the Slimizi and the tourists, since its evident that yours isn't worth for them anymore. That's the way to work in this country.
Mario Tabone-Vassallo
Aug 16th 2009, 12:41
Is-setghat tal-pajjiz mirghuna kollha lin-negozjanti. Talinqas il-Kunsill Sliemiz jindokra lir-residenti u votanti tieghu. F'San Pawl il-Bahar qacctu kotra postijiet ghall-ipparkjar biex jaghtuhom ghall-imwejjed ghall-barijiet u ristoranti [fost ohrajn] u gew jitmellhu mir-residenti. F'San Pawl il-Bahar qatt ma taw xhieda li jimpurtahom mir-residenti, hlief meta jasal il-vot. Nittama li s-Sindku gdida tiehu trieq ohra.
Paul Barrett
Aug 16th 2009, 12:37
It all sounds like perfect logic to me.
My annual road tax has doubled and the places like Sliema that I can park my car (if I ever wanted to try but don't as I avoid the place like the plague because there is already nowhere to park) is about to be halved.
If Sliema residents want preferential (virtually private) parking over the rest of us then they should pay extra for it - the roads are public land belonging to ALL citizens.
v.pulis
Aug 16th 2009, 12:30
So if I want to go to sliema I can hire a car for the day and park wherever I want!
Sarah Jane Gatt
Aug 16th 2009, 12:17
When is the WELCOME TO SLEIMA SIGN, going to be changed to RESIDENTS AND TOURIST ONLY WELCOME, then all I have to do is rent a car, and visit sliema, perhaps there should be a system at park and ride where a guy just rents you a car for the evening to visit sliema. If this systems is bought in I will be giving the area a wide berth, and taking my business elsewhere.
v.pulis
Aug 16th 2009, 11:33
The same old story. First we implement measures than we try and go around them as best we can. Typical Maltese logic where the cart comes before the horse.
Joseph Camilleri
Aug 16th 2009, 11:23
Actually we are third class citizens. FIrst, there are the Sliema residents who want to have a monopoly of parking in the town; second, come the tourists; and third, come the rest of the Maltese population. I wonder what will happen if all local councils imitate the Sliema council and demand total parking reservation for their residents. After all, if the residents of Sliema have a right to have a monopoly of parking lots at Sliema, so also have the residents of Zejtun, Qrendi, Siggiewi and all other localities. If this happens, the Maltese people will be unable to park their car anywhere except in front of their house. An excellent idea, perhaps, to cut down on the use of private cars and reduce pollution! The scheme is not only unconstitutional since it disciminates between citizens (as shall be proved if a case reaches the European Court of Human Rights) but downright farcical - if all local councils demand their pound of flesh.
martin saliba
Aug 16th 2009, 11:23
Thats very nice Dr. de Marco. You are leaving the door wide open for abuse which will only make matter worse by reducing parking spaces 100 time over. It will be difficult to prove if the car has been hired by a touist or ust parked there by the rental company.
Harry.R.Galea
Aug 16th 2009, 10:46
Here we go again the Maltese being made inferior to foreigners again, i say whats good for the goose is good for the gander. its only fair after all., same goes for British registered vehicles driving on our roads getting away with it, while we have to comply. I just give up with Maltese rules and regulations my foot, regardelss of a foreign address, if one resides in Malta for longer then 6 months i reckon they should register their vehicle as a Maltese registered. As i say :- WHATS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER. END OF STORY.
C.Sammut
Aug 16th 2009, 10:37
So literally we are second class citizens in our own country!!!! Do we get a reduced road tax since we cannot use part of it??