New bus, pedestrian facilities planned for Sliema Ferries

Bus stops and interchange points along the Sliema Ferries will be upgraded but the area will not go through major changes and the number of parking spots will not be reduced, a Transport Malta spokesman said.

The project in the busy shopping area will be carried out by Bonnici Brothers Limited after the company was awarded the €950,000 contract by tender a few weeks ago. The financing will come out of the €10.1 million European Regional Development Fund.

There is no date scheduled for the beginning of the project, which will include the realignment of footpaths and traffic islands and the asphalting of part of the carriageway to better organise bus infrastructure, Transport Malta said.

Works will include the upgrading of pedestrian facilities while the zebra crossing near Marks and Spencer’s will be replaced by pelican lights with pedestrian sensors.

A short bus lane will be included in the same area and the bus lane across the road, from Tigné tunnel, will be extended a bit further. The number of bus stops on either side of the road will remain unchanged but shelter and vehicle access to the existing stops will be upgraded.

Realignment works will be carried out which will include the narrowing of the pavement in certain points on the side of the sea but parking spaces will not be reduced.

The present level of traffic is expected to remain unchanged, with 22 buses driving in each direction every hour, the spokesman said.

When the existing bus lane was put in place along the Ferries on the side of the sea, 20 parking spaces had to be sacrificed. Originally, 62 spots were going to be lost but, following objections by the Sliema local council and business community, the number dropped and 42 spaces were retained.