No sooner has the paint dried on the new bus lane in Sliema, leading to the loss of 62 parking spaces, than the government has come up with a way to appease outraged residents and businesses.

A week ago the government announced a “solution” to keep Bisazza Street vehicle-free, by rerouting buses around Tigné Point and painting a bus lane over 62 precious car spaces on the road to the Sliema Ferries.

Yesterday, it said only 20 parking spaces would now be lost, thanks to a reconfiguration of the parking system.

The savings are being made by pushing the bus lane further away from the pavement and allowing cars to park parallel to it as they were able to do before.

However, to create space for the parked cars, the bus lane and a vehicle carriageway, the parking spaces opposite, will now have to be changed from a fishbone design (where car bumpers face the pavement) to the parallel parking style.

The new set-up will also entail a change in traffic regulations: Drivers who want to park or leave their parking space have to give priority to oncoming buses.

According to the government, this system, where bus lanes run along parked cars, is “common” in places with high demand for parking.

The announcement was made yesterday evening by both the transport and resources ministries, following meetings with the Sliema Business Community, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise – GRTU and the Sliema local council last week.

“We decided this arrangement was necessary because of the high demand for parking in this zone, both from residents and visitors of this commercial area,” the ministries said.

Besides the reconfiguration of the bus lane, parking spaces will be saved through other adjustments in the area.

The recent parking controversy began when the government decided to pedestrianise Sliema’s central shopping road, Bisazza Street, as the new owners of Malta’s bus service (Arriva) were getting ready to launch their revamped bus service.

This meant having to change Arriva’s plans which were previously calculated on having buses pass through the shopping district.

But the solution, which came at a cost to the taxpayer and the inconvenience of car owners who use the area, did not wash with Sliema residents and the business community, many of whom were already upset about the lost parking spaces in Bisazza and other parts of Sliema.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Sunday met his supporters in Sliema and promised a more holistic parking solution for the Ferries, which he said was already in the pipeline but plans had still to be concluded.

When asked for more details, the Office of the Prime Minister promised them at a later stage.