The government’s solution to save 42 parking spaces near the Sliema Ferries has been welcomed by the local council and the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise – GRTU.
Deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer said the council was satisfied that such a large percentage of the spaces would be saved after all. Originally, 62 were planned to be lost when the government decided to reroute buses from the newly pedestrianised Bisazza Street through Tignè, where a bus lane had to be installed.
Mr Engerer promised the council would continue working to ensure projects in Sliema brought more, not less, parking to the area. In fact, they were eagerly awaiting an announcement by the Prime Minister about a project to be carried out at the Ferries which Lawrence Gonzi recently promised would help soften the parking problem.
The new system on the Sliema Ferries entails having a bus lane placed adjacent to a row of parked cars rather than instead of them.
Asked if this could cause havoc in such a small area, Mr Engerer said he was not an architect but he trusted the technical experts of Transport Malta who always prioritised safety.
“We need a shift in mentality and in the way we use transport. To make public transport more efficient we need bus lanes. And we also need to change the way we drive and park to give precedence to public transport,” he said.
He added that, thanks to consultation by Transport Malta, the council managed to spare more car spaces along Amery Street where new bus transport operators Arriva had planned to have another bus lane. Instead, the council suggested using Dingli Street until Arriva buys more “smaller buses” that require fewer changes to the parking system.
The GRTU welcomed the return of the parking spaces and thanked the Resources Ministry for taking on its suggestions. It said constructive consultation would lead to many more improvements in the zone.
It said it was also satisfied that Arriva, through the support of the Transport Ministry, was serving the locality with excellent public transport connections with good stops for shopping and without disturbing the parking system in the area.