The parking scheme being suggested for Sliema is ludicrous, to say the least. Apart from the detrimental effect upon businesses, catering and retail outlets, it is discriminatory to all who own a second residence in Sliema, non-resident Sliema family members that visit regularly and to all motorists that have every right to park in Sliema and enjoy the same parking arrangements as in their own town or village.

Sliema residents will not be affected by any time limits on their parking, neither on where to park. In other words, 50 per cent of Sliema parking that is reserved for non-residents is freely available to Sliema residents. Common sense would quickly dictate that Sliema residents would opt for the non-resident slots, thus leaving other residents spoilt for choice. This is no far-fetched assumption as it regularly happens in Valletta where the amount of free resident parking in the early hours of the morning as opposed to practically fully occupied non-resident parking can attest.

Indeed, only draconian measures can solve the parking problem in Sliema. However, when car park projects such as the one proposed in Qui-Si-Sana and elsewhere were abandoned due to residents’ protests, the council should have acted with more forceful action if indeed its interest is in finding logical solutions.

The Sliema mayor clearly hopes such a residents’ parking scheme will bring benefits to inhabitants of his town. What the mayor fails to specify is that these benefits also come in the form of revenue generated from fines.

The rash scheme is set to come in force within six months. Perhaps such funds generated from frustrated non-residents could go to compensate the commercial sector for lost business and towards paying for all the services that many ex-residents offer their ageing parents.