George Debono, Sliema
Balluta car park a health hazard
It now seems that the Balluta car park is destined to get the go-ahead in spite of local residents' objections.
Apart from vague references to "significant traffic problems" and "resident parking problems" in the Sliema/St Julians area, there seems little clear justification for this car park as both these problems are related to over-development. It is time that it is realised that Sliema and St Julians will continue to have traffic problems as long as apartment blocks continue to be built. Adding a car park in St Julians will serve to attract more development, attract cars to an already polluted area and divert people away from public transport through continuing to encourage increased car use.
As a result of growing awareness of the threat to health from traffic pollution, the attitude in other countries is to discourage car use in cities, towns and highly urbanised areas. By contrast, Malta does exactly the opposite by building apartment blocks in already over-developed areas and causing inevitable traffic congestion (i.e. those so-called "significant traffic problems") and increasing the need for parking space. At the same time there is pious talk of transport reform as a means of "getting people out of their car". This simply will not happen as long as car use continues to be encouraged.
A more important aspect is that of health. From a public health point of view, this projected car park is unacceptable. People residing in the built-up areas of Malta are all exposed to the double health threat of increased cancer rates and premature death from traffic pollution on the one hand, and from lack of physical exercise with resultant obesity, maturity onset diabetes and premature heart and circulatory disease, on the other. This is particularly so in certain highly polluted areas in Malta - including Sliema and especially St Julians bay.
The streets adjoining Balluta Bay are already overloaded with traffic. Even if the profit motive makes a car park irresistible, this simply cannot - and must not - override adverse health consequences. This car park will result in a serious traffic impact on the surrounding streets, especially the uphill, one-way Old College Street. This relatively narrow street carries a huge volume of outgoing traffic exiting from Sliema and is phenomenally polluted. Residents in this road are particularly exposed to the risk of lung cancer and shortened life span. Also, children growing up in polluted areas are susceptible to lung damage from traffic emissions. These are scientifically proven facts. An environment impact assessment of the Balluta underground project must include the impact on traffic congestion, pollution and health. If health considerations are not included in assessing the benefit of this project, then this goes against the health interests of local residents.
The bottom line is this: The vicious cycle of increasing traffic congestion and the need for parking space through permitting construction of more apartment blocks simply cannot go on in the Sliema/St Julians area. Encouraging yet more car use by building car parks is counter-intuitive in terms of health, even in the best of conditions. The health of local residents is paramount and encouraging any increase in traffic can only serve to intensify the significant existing threat to health from pollution.
If the Sliema/St Julians councils opt to go ahead with this and other car parks, the only interpretation is that there is a profit motive which is wrongly receiving priority over everything else - including the health of the very residents whose interests they are supposed to uphold. The emphasis should be on making our streets more pedestrian-friendly and improving the attraction of public transport so that car dependency diminishes - adding car parks is not the way to go about this.
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Anthony Pace Gouder
Nov 28th 2009, 12:57
@ Paul Borg/ Joe Morana
AT last nights meeting at the Meridien Hotel, while discussing the proposed U/G carpark , I referred to the large 300/350 Open Parking Space at the end of the road off Bay Junction.
One of the residents had information that there are plans for the usual block of flats replacing this Hotel Parking ,an area larger than BALLUTA SQUARE and streets around.
It seems that this last remaining hillside piece of typical MALTESE COUNTRYSIDE is up for grabs .
This dead end street, already contains a number of APARTMENT BLOCKS , that once enjoyed the Bay View . Now cheekily SCREENED OFF by the hotel .
This area is only accessable through the steep , narrow Bay Junction that at the bottom end FEATURES a very ackward ,dangerous, hard to manouvre , even steeper BLIND Corner converging on a restricted , permanantly congested area in Main Street .
Then we are told that this proposed Balluta u/g parking is essentially part of Traffic Management Schemes for this locality !
anthony pace gouder
Nov 28th 2009, 04:30
Kemm qed jaraw kbir ! Running wild with fantastic ideas !!!
The St. Julians Local Council unveiled this U/G CYLINDERICAL AUTOMATED (?) CARPARK ,but the plans presented only showed the lay-by of the rectangular lift platform at STREET LEVEL and a stereotype sectional diagram . This is not sufficient as the exact excavated area under the square and street is not defined at all . When I SHOUTED OUT to the architect to tell us the exact footprint , he ignored me and went on with his useless lecture !
To make matters worst , they also propose a link up to this by a WATER TAXI ( look like closed jet boats) to strategic points around the Bay . Swimmers beware .
I'd like to know the Master Mind behind all this fantasy !
Eric Soames
Nov 27th 2009, 16:20
Is it too late to create a web site where those who know and love the square/triangle, but live overseas, can add their voices in support of the Save the Square Group?
Josette DeGabriele
Nov 27th 2009, 16:00
I am writing from Hong Kong, which is where I work, but I spend every summer in Malta, specifically Sliema near Balluta Bay where we have a home. If I could be at the public meeting tonight, I would. Many people have protested the underground carpark and bus station. Their protests outweigh any support for this proposterous project. Health risks, over crowding, increased traffic conjestion, destruction of our heritage, the obliteration of a wonderful place to sit and have a drink, to chat and reminisce - we, the supporters of Balluta Square and its Bay have covered all of the negative, instrusive aspects of this project - and yet council is still not listening.
To counter balance all of this against a maximum of 120 car spaces is beyong comprehension.
Either council lacks a conscience and has no foresight, or the lure of the Euro is too powerful.
If I could be there tonight to lend my support I would. I ask that those of you who can make it to the meeting do so, and lend your voice to opposing this project and to saving Balluta Square. The citizens of Balluta deserve better than what THEIR council is proposing.
clare spiteri
Nov 27th 2009, 15:24
Shame on those who agrees to this violation.Shame on you all.You will all eventually pay the consequences. Disgraceful that it should be contemplated at all.Greed and more Greed.
Joe Morana
Nov 27th 2009, 15:20
Agree with George Debono. Same problems in Sliema whereby MEPA keeps issuing buidling permits while well aware that Sliema is overdeveloped thereby defying sensible sustainable town planning logic . More buidlings and more car parks inside overdeveloped loaclities will simply increase motor vehicle traffic and air and noise pollution for residents.
It is absurd how local councils (e.g.Balluta and Sliema Local Councils) are inclined to give priority to the some residents' convenience (parking) probelms, rather than to residents' health (air pollution caused by motor vehicle traffic ) problems.
But perhaps we get the local and central governments that we deserve, don't we??.
Paul Borg
Nov 27th 2009, 14:32
It is so ironic that this letter appears on the same day as Perit Alex Torpiano, the Head of the Department of Architecture at the University is using the Graduation to call for more building in urban areas, bringing in thousands more cars which will need more car parks. This although he must know we have over 75,000 empty houses/flats.
It would be interesting to know what the Slimizi neighbours of his MIDI and Fort Cambridge projects think of his proposals.
Yet another very disappointing case of people using their top positions to push their personal interests.
Simon Camilleri
Nov 27th 2009, 13:40
Car parks are a solution left over from the 70s and early 80s. It is now a well known fact that car parks do not solve any parking problems but simply increase the volume of traffic as more people will head there hoping to find somewhere to park. The area and roads leading to it are already terminally congested, a car park can only worsen the terrible air we breathe. There is only one reason to build it and it is certainly not a traffic management one. The Qui-si-Sana Car Park project was a private commercial venture disguised as a public project. Here we go again!!
Maria Endacott-Heser
Nov 27th 2009, 13:35
Well-said Mr Debono. I am utterly shocked to read the plans for the car park are going ahead. I would like to know what impacts the construction of the car-park will have on the local infrastructure? Will we have another situation where deep-drilling, foundation- laying work impinges on the local drainage system, which is already precariously situated ? Does this mean that not only will there be the associated air pollution , but potentially we could see more pollution of the Bay and devastation of marine life? The long-term, damaging effects of the Council's plan are huge; the environmental costs are phenomenal, highly likely to be irreversable, and surely outweigh any short-term, socio-economic gain? I would be very interested to see a copy of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis that the Council surely has completed as part of their planning procedure: are these documents are available for public viewing?
The issues of health and environment must not be ignored - would the Maltese M.P. for Europe be able to shed light on any of these matters? I cannot imagine such a proposal would be given ANY air time at all in other European destinations .
Galea. L
Nov 27th 2009, 12:57
This is totally absurd and illogical except to those who stand to gain from the car park. Why is the mayor so obsessed with ruining the square? Sometimes people wonder how popular and extended is the scratch-my-back-and-I-scratch-your syndrome in Malta and what's in it for certain people. Go to the meeting and inundate the local council office and MEPA with protest letters and start collecting signatures against the development and the environment vandals who want to go ahead with this project.
JOANNE PACE
Nov 27th 2009, 10:38
Prosit Mr Debono,you are so right, this proposed car park and terminus will only increase pollution and increase CANCER cases, plus once the car park is completed there wont be any trees left, because, its the whole square they are going to dig under not half or ten per cent as the mayor is stating, as usual he is misguiding everyone, and thats what he probably wants to do this evening at the consultation meeting at the Meridien . We shall see,how he is going to work on us residents.
ALEXANDER PACE GOUDER
Nov 27th 2009, 09:35
Well said. Money makes the world go round!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the main reasons amoung many others, why we do not want this car park in Balluta as being said by the Council "under the Square." Mr. George Debono we will be more then pleased to see you and others with us residents of Balluta , The Save Balluta Square Group and Balluta Residents Association,THIS EVENING AT 6.30 AT THE MERIDIAN HOTEL BALLUTA so that you will also air your views as mentioned is this letter. We will be discussing The UNWANTED Balluta Project and other projects with the Mayor and Councilers. We understand that the Arcitect of this project will also be present. PLEASE SAVE BALLUTA SQUARE AND AREA>