Swieqi is fast growing into a big locality. What was once a hamlet on the outskirts of St Julian’s and Birkirkara has now become an autonomous locality.

When it started becoming a residential area, some 45 years ago, it was a very quiet place. It was a very humble locality without any pretentions. The only residents living there were the owners of some farmhouses, some of which are still extant.

Today, Swieqi is a locality facing a lot of problems brought about by years of development. English language schools and the spillover from Paceville have ruined the peace and quiet that were the hallmark of our locality. Besides, parking has become a nightmare.

Listing all the problems is quite difficult but some of the most pressing are exiting Swieqi on foot or by car, the continuous demolition of existing buildings and the construction of new blocks of flats and the disastrous state of a large percentage of its roads and the cleanliness of the place.

Leaving Swieqi from Swieqi Road towards Bay Street and St George’s Bay is not only a headache but a truly dangerous feat. Never have I seen such a narrow tunnel being used by vehicular traffic and pedestrians at the same time. It is a miracle we do not have daily accidents in this dangerous spot.

Swieqi is a locality facing a lot of problems brought about by years of development

Furthermore, those on their way out of Swieqi in their vehicles have quite a problem leaving the locality because traffic management there is disastrous.

Swieqi is a cosmopolitan locality that lacks any feeling of community spirit, sometimes even for those who have lived there for many years let alone newcomers. There are many transient residents with no interest in the locality. There are also residents with social problems that go far beyond our understanding and knowledge. There is also a growing feeling of insecurity among residents.

Although local council resources are limited, an attempt should be made to integrate the Maltese and non-Maltese residents willing to be integrated. A good try would be a Mother and Baby Club, which could help enormously in bringing young mothers together and ease the loneliness experienced by many of them. The council should also have an ongoing programme of parenting skills and these should be aimed at parents of all ages.

The same goes for older residents, especially the elderly.

The average age of the Swieqi population is 46 years and this indicates that a good percentage of the population is made up of senior citizens. There is no day centre for the elderly in the area and, as far as I know, many of these senior citizens are lonely, living on their own and feeling increasingly insecure as the community changes constantly.

It is imperative that the local council takes onboard the matter of security for the elderly. This should start by bringing the elderly nearer to the council, not just through the occasional outing but also through regular activities held inside the council’s premises.

I would say that the local council should become the refuge of the elderly. It should draw up a list of trustworthy handymen, carpenters, electricians and other tradesmen so that those in need can rest assured they would have been vetted by the council and could be trusted in one’s home.

Also, an agreement should be signed with a security firm to ensure the homes of the elderly are checked out by experts for safety and security reasons and agreement could also be reached with the same or a different company to instal video hall porters possibly at a discounted price.

One can also look into a local version of Telecare now that we have a police station in Swieqi.

Speaking about security, one cannot forget foreign students, who continue to be a very big problem, and the vandalism that takes place cannot be underestimated. To counter this we need more foot patrols by the police at night, especially in areas where students congregate.

Traffic management leaves much to be desired in Swieqi, especially with regard to entry and exit. The possibility of entry from Regional Road, at the end of the bridge, should not be discarded. That would make a huge difference to traffic movement in the centre of the locality.

Parking has become more of a problem since the physiognomy of Swieqi underwent a radical change with the proliferation of apartments and a consequent lack of parking slots. Can there be more parking slots, especially near corners in one-way roads? On the other hand, there are areas where parking on both sides is very dangerous, particularly in streets that are two way.

There are other problems like the identity problem with Swieqi incorporating Ta’ l-Ibraġ, Victoria Gardens, Madliena and High Ridge. All these areas insist on having their name included even in the postal address and people living in one area rarely know those in another. A case in point is the parish church. People outside Swieqi hardly know that the church is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and people do not know the church in Ta’ l-Ibraġ is the Swieqi parish church.

Pio Dalli is a PN candidate for the local elections in Swieqi.