Two associations have expressed concern at the closure of Bizazza Street.
The Sliema Residents’ Association and the Qui-si-sana and Tigne Residents’ Association criticised the Resources’s untimely decision to close Bisazza Street for five months for widening and re-paving of pavements and re-routing of traffic through the heart of Qui-si-sana and down the narrow and steep hill of St Anthony Street.
“Such re-routing will precipitate the traffic chaos that presently exists in the residential area due to other works, and will cause misery and hardship for the residents of Qui-si-sana and Tigne, as thousands of cars, trucks and buses will be pouring daily past their front doors.
“This will also increase the already elevated pollution levels in these narrow, high flanked roads to the detriment of the residents’ health and quality of life.”
The associations said the residents of central Sliema would also suffer as traffic would try to avoid the jams by passing through Amery, High Street, Manwel Dimech and Old College streets, paralysing these parts of Sliema.
“The Prime Minister had repeatedly promised residents of the area proper consultation and a say in the issue of pedestrianisation of Bisazza Street.
“Not only has that not happened or taken place, but it seems that the decision has already been taken by the ministry.
“While select groups that will enjoy a long-term gain have been consulted, Sliema residents have been deliberately excluded from the process,” they said.
The associations added that the Sliema council had been involved in the process for months, despite its protestations of innocence and ignorance.
The associations said they believe the project should have taken place after the completion of the Qui-si-sana and Tigne perimeter roads, linked together by the MIDI tunnel, which has been ready but not opened for more than three years.
They asked why the paving of 200 yards of street should take precedence over the social and corporate responsibility of the central administration, consequently jeopardising the health and quality of life of residents and the inconvenience to traffic.