Common sense prevails on car parks

Few would disagree that the Government should not be involved in managing non-essential facilities like car parks on a commercial basis since today there are better ways of providing car owners with this service.

But the way Transport Malta chose to rush through the privatisation process of 34 public car parks was at best defective and at worst bizarre. The decision to suspend this process was a victory for common sense over insensitivity to ordinary people’s concerns.

Previous privatisations were heralded by advance notices by the Government to give the public a chance to express their views. This is the way a modern democracy that respects the sentiments of the people should function.

But Transport Malta decided to use heavy-handed tactics. It believed there was no real need to consult with those who would be affected by the changes.

More worrying is that the transport regulator adopted a patronising stance to justify this defective process by saying that residents living near the car parks to be privatised will not be impacted by these changes as they will be given special concessions.

The Transport Ministry claimed that the motion presented in Parliament by the Opposition “was aimed at putting parkers, who were among the most precarious workers, in a worse situation”.

Few could believe that this rushed privatisation process was about giving parking attendants better conditions.

Irrespective of the claims made by the Transport Ministry, the reality is that no proper assessment was made on who will be affected by these changes and the cost that car owners, businesses and other interested parties will incur when today’s public car parks are managed by private operators. With small businesses especially in the retail sector struggling to keep afloat in these challenging economic times, the last thing they need is a patronising authority telling them that they need not worry about the risk of shoppers not turning up in their shops as a result of extra costs imposed by private car park operators.

Small businesses were apparently also left in the dark about these planned changes. With the cost of private travel being substantial, most shoppers would think twice before deciding to purchase goods or services from areas where they would incur a fee to park their cars.

Transport Malta also confirmed that there would be no capping for such fees and so drivers would be faced with a take-it-or-leave-it option when seeking to park their vehicles in privately managed car parks.

Residents who live near the car parks that are to be privatised can hardly rejoice that they can still park their cars for free in the privatised car parks from 6pm to 8am. In most cases such arrangements are simply not workable.

It is a shame that local councils were not given a chance to air their views on behalf of the residents they represent. It appears that bureaucrats in the Transport Ministry and Transport Malta feel they know it all and don’t need to consult with the people who pay their salaries through their taxes.

Now that the privatisation process has been suspended, the transport authority should begin a proper consultation exercise involving all interested parties.

Special attention should be given to the vociferous concerns expressed by residents, local councils and the business community about the risks of creating a private monopoly to manage car parks. These views must be heard.