The Sliema local council has closed off a direct exit from St Anthony Street on to the Strand with metal bollards in a temporary measure to alleviate traffic.

The closure, which will last for a month, came into effect yesterday with the approval of Transport Malta.

Drivers will no longer be able to exit St Anthony Street to the Strand in the direction of Gżira and this is “solely intended to alleviate heavy traffic from the inner Tigné area”.

Regrettably, Transport Malta has declined our proposals

Non-Tigné bound traffic will be directed to use the tunnels to access the Strand. The council said it would reassess this measure following a trial period of one month as agreed with Transport Malta.

It also expressed concern at the increasing amount of traffic congestion along the Strand in the direction of Gżira because of the new traffic lights in the area.

“Regrettably, Transport Malta has declined our proposals to address this situation on a trial period late last year,” it said.

Turning to parking bays, the council said it regretted the removal, by Transport Malta, of a number of spaces in the Strand area as this is “contrary to the proposals put forward by the council to increase parking in this busy area”. Heavy traffic and lack of parking has always been a problem in Sliema and, last year, the government suspended a parking scheme for residents in the locality barely a week after it came into force, following a Cabinet decision in reaction to a strike by teachers who work in Sliema. The suspension was on grounds that the scheme was introduced “unilaterally and without an adequate trial period” and had caused problems in the area.

The council said yesterday that it looked forward to the publication by the Transport Ministry of the “long awaited timed parking national policy” that would hopefully alleviate the “current dire parking situation”.