Sliema business owner all out for parking meters

The owner of a shop in Sliema is all out for the introduction of parking meters in the locality, arguing that this would be of benefit to businesses there.

Exotique owner Grace Borg believes the introduction of parking meters would help businesses as it would create a turnover of spaces available in the business centre.

"If there is a client who wants to come to my shop for a few minutes to buy something, he can park close by and pay for using the parking space. Why all this fuss on paying? If I want a service, I pay for it and this is the mentality that is needed in Malta," she said.

Her comments come in the wake of stiff opposition by the majority of business owners in Sliema, and even the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, to the introduction of a residents' parking scheme.

Ms Borg agrees with such a stand, saying the proposed parking scheme was discriminatory because "we pay the ADT the same road tax, so we are all equals".

Her alternative is to have parking meters, an option being considered by the Sliema local council.

Ms Borg's argument against the parking scheme is the battle cry of Swieqi resident Joseph Borg who has started the legal process he hopes will lead the court to declare the residents' parking schemes discriminatory.

If the courts accept Mr Borg's argument, then this will likely send councils scrambling for an alternative, which may be found in the form of parking meters.

The president of the Malta Employers' Association, Pierre Fava, who also runs the pharmacy chain Chemimart, does not agree with having parking meters, saying these would not solve Sliema's parking problems. He believes they could be part of the solution but other measures were also necessary. There needs to be a park and ride system like the one in operation in Valletta, for instance.

Speaking from the point of view of a Sliema resident, Mr Fava said parking in the vicinity of his house was "almost impossible", pointing out that people often parked in front of his garage, so he could not even resort to that.

"The culprits of this parking problem are not necessarily my clients but those who come to Sliema for a long number of hours, including employees of businesses in Sliema. As a business owner, I would like to see a good turnover of parking spaces but the solution is to strike the right balance and find a compromise," he said.

He said he was in Aberdeen, Scotland recently where visitors can choose to either pay £8 to park in a private car park for three hours or else park in a parking bay on the road and pay the local council £2.50 for two hours.

Mr Fava said his association received two complaints from employers about parking problems their workers could encounter.

He said the MEA adopted a wait and see approach in order to see how the new parking system would actually work.

mxuereb@timesofmalta.com