The use of reserved parking spaces in Castille Square late at night and during weekends is not allowed, despite a government spokesman saying otherwise, Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli is insisting.
His assertion was made in reaction to a story published by the Times of Malta on Wednesday, which highlighted how parking in this part of the capital had become next to impossible as government entities had reserved nearly 50 bays. The story also quoted a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister saying that the public could make use of these slots after office hours and during weekends.
This prompted a strong reaction from the Valletta mayor. He said the council’s request to allow residents and visitors to make use of the reserved spaces when they were not in use had been rejected by the transport watchdog.
“It is not true that residents and visitors can park in government spaces [after office hours],” Prof. Dingli retorted.
It is tantamount to assuming ministries work only office hours
He backed his argument with correspondence dating to between February and April last year. In one of the emails seen by this newspaper, Transport Malta chairman and CEO James Piscopo refused to acquiesce to the council’s request following a lengthy exchange with other officials.
“We are reluctant because it is tantamount to assuming that ministries work only office hours. I also personally think such sporadic initiatives create unnecessary expectations,” Mr Piscopo replied.
Prof. Dingli said that the council had acted on the request of incensed Valletta residents who were facing an ordeal to park their vehicles for the night while dozens of reserved parking slots were being left empty.
The mayor was also irked by the fact that the transport watchdog had dismissed their request on the grounds that Valletta’s parking capacity exceeded the residents’ demands.
“Essentially Transport Malta is claiming that it is not true that residents have a parking problem. Unbelievable! Maybe it’s another perception,” Prof. Dingli remarked sarcastically.
Last year a Transport Malta official stirred controversy after describing traffic congestion as a “perception”.