Valletta becomes another silent capital
Some two years ago I had written a letter to The Times with regard to the introduction of the CVA system and the allotment of green, blue and white parking spaces in Valletta. The letter never made it to print.
At that time I had foreseen the adverse effect on business in Valletta precisely because the people who usually drive into Valletta were going to find it extremely difficult to find a parking space, even if they were being charged for having entered Valletta and remaining there for more than 30 minutes.
Preposterous. If your stay is 35 minutes long you are charged for one hour. Otherwise use the park and ride, was the answer by the man charged with issuing such regulations.
Businesses in Valletta have suffered the consequences and this year’s Christmas sales dropped by an average 45 per cent.
Valletta was a buzzing city in terms of business and commerce, with clients coming in non-stop, parking was unlimited and visitors, including shoppers, could still find a parking space here and there.
After the CVA was introduced, most of the remaining parking spaces were taken over by members of Parliament and, presumably, their secretaries.
The man on top has decided to have a Parliament building right at the entrance to Valletta, taking up the whole square there. Has anyone ever seen a Parliament building right at the entrance to a capital city? This square could have easily solved all of Valletta’s parking problems had some thought been given to it. It could have easily taken parking as road level and also at least four floors underground, with entrances and exits through Republic Street and underground exiting the ditch at Sa Maison.
I cannot say whether it is already too late but somebody must do something to bring back life to business in the capital.
Valletta has slowly been turned into another silent city.
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Pauline Busuttil
Mar 11th 2011, 19:42
Lill DVella nghidlu biex jekk ma jafx l'affarijiet sew ma jitkelliemx. Ahna ir-residenti ma ahniex insibu nipparkjaw fuq il linju hodor ( ghax ma hawnx bizzejjed ghalina) ghalhekk ikollna nipparkjarw fuq l-abjad jew il blu. Ma tridx ghall'jista jkun ma nipparkjawx fuq dawn biex minn jigi jixtri u ma joqghodx il Belt issib jipparkja?. Soluzjoni wahda hemm, li jsiru undergrounds parking (kif hemm fl'Ibliet kapitali kollha tal-Ewropa per ezempju taht pjazzez) u tara kif kollox jigi ghan-normal u ikun hemm inqas karrozzi ipparkjati fit-toroq tal Belt. Ir-residenti Beltin ghandhom ikollhom l-priorita fil parking dejjem.
S. Zammit
Mar 11th 2011, 22:00
Jekk int ikollok il-priorita li tipparkja quddiem il-bieb ta darek ghax toqod il-Belt, jien nipprentendi l-istess haga li noqghod H'Attard
John Gatt
Mar 11th 2011, 22:11
Pauline Busuttil ixtri jew ikri garage bhal ma ghamilna ahna u hafna nies ohra.
Paul Muscat
Mar 11th 2011, 22:14
Pauline Busuttil jaqaw inti thallas licenzja doppja iktar minna biex qed tippretendi li ghandu jkollo preferenza biex tipparkja? It-toroq ta' kulhadd Pauline u kulhadd ghandu l-istess drittijiet.
Sean Grima
Mar 11th 2011, 22:55
ghalhekk tara ruxxamata kaxxi hodor vojta, ghax m'hemmx bizzejjed!
Joseph Meli
Mar 11th 2011, 18:41
Since the CVA system was introduced many like me failed to go to Valletta during the day, afternoon or during the evening, just because you would never find any parking spaces and the system of the park and ride was too inconvenient to use. in fact these last few days we managed to visit Valletta due to the carnival period and found that most of the drinks and food had gone down compared with those in other places such as Hamrun or Sliema. This indicated that their business is failing from obtaining customers. Therefore, the only good solution is to get back the old system, that one pays an annual fee to enter into Valletta, then business will be back in full swing in Valletta.
DVella
Mar 11th 2011, 15:09
where, exactly did you get your data to arrive at the 'average 45%' drop in business Mr Azzopardi?? On a different note, people are finding it extremely difficult to find parking spaces in Valletta not because there are less parking spaces but because of the crass selfishness of several Valletta residents that purposely occupy a white parking space . . . the large number of empty 'reserved' parking spaces one can observe on any evening is evidence of this!
When you say Valletta WAS a 'buzzing city in terms of business and commerce with clients coming in non-stop' . . . one is forced to wonder whether you have been there recently!
Paul Debattista
Mar 11th 2011, 14:20
My daughter was charged because she stayed 18 seconds, yes you read it right, 18 seconds more than 30 minutes. I have seen the receipt and the photos with the times on the photos. She said she shall never again shop in Valletta as long as the CVA remains.
Sean Grima
Mar 11th 2011, 11:23
dunno how you can say that when the place is choc a bloc until the evening, 6 days a week!
Joseph Micallef
Mar 11th 2011, 10:42
And it will become even more silent when the kiosks are removed from its entrance - reducing it in a dead but maybe nice to look at place!
Sean Grima
Mar 11th 2011, 13:30
they are a blot - the sooner they go the better.
Joe Gatt
Mar 11th 2011, 10:26
No parking, reserved parking or paying parking = NO BUSINESS.
We shall spend our money elsewhere.
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