The report titled ‘Sliema parking scheme would hurt workers, GWU warns’ (June 11) is at odds with reality.

Far from ‘hurting’ workers, the Sliema residential parking scheme would have quite the opposite effect: it would make them healthier.   Maybe the GWU should make themselves aware of the adverse health effects of habitually travelling to work by car.

It has been shown that people who use ‘active transport’ (walk, bicycle, public transport) instead of travelling to work by car are healthier, less obese and tend to have lower rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, making car commuting more convenient is likely to add to ill health.

On the other hand, the proposal to create an underground multi-level car park beneath a children’s playground at Exiles Point in Sliema, is pure public health insanity because of traffic fumes. Such a car park will encourage more vehicle traffic, resulting in more pollution. It will also encourage people to drive to the Exiles beach, increasing the likelihood of traffic jams, again further increasing existing pollution. The incentive for people to walk or cycle to the beach will be eroded and this, of course, has negative health implications.

Children are particularly sensitive to the adverse health effects of traffic pollution. Children breathe 20 -50 per cent more air (and, therefore, more traffic fumes) per unit body weight than do adults. Also, they tend to ignore warning symptoms from pollution such as cough or throat irritation.

More importantly.  there is incontrovertible evidence that children exposed to pollution sustain permanent deficiencies in lung functions even when they show no symptoms as cough or discomfort. This increases the likelihood of asthma, other lung diseases, possibly including cancer, later on in life.

If this underground project is allowed to proceed by the PA and Transport Malta, it will be a blatant act of public health irresponsibility.