The authorities should make sure no cars are allowed to park in the vicinity of the new Parliament building, Valletta mayor Alexei Dingli said yesterday.
His warning was seconded by the V18 chairman, Jason Micallef, who emphasised that the entire area was designed to be a pedestrian zone and should stay that way.
On Monday, Times of Malta noticed up to four cars parked in the pedestrian area, including the Speaker’s official car, despite declarations made in recent weeks that no cars would be allowed next to the €80 million state-of-the art building designed by internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano.
When contacted, a spokesman for Parliament told Times of Malta that the only car which can be parked in the vicinity of the new building is the Speaker’s car. All others, including those used by parliamentary staff were directed to park elsewhere.
“All parliament cars were directed to start parking in the car park in front of the Central Bank,” the spokesman said.
It is the norm for the Speaker’s official vehicle to be parked in the immediate vicinity of the building, he said.
Before Parliament’s move to the new building at Valletta’s entrance, the Speaker’s official car was parked in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.
It is not acceptable that just a week after its inauguration, the building is already being surrounded by cars
According to the parliamentary spokesman, a slot has been assigned by Transport Malta to allocate parking for the Speaker’s car.
But mayor Dingli said the new, sophisticated entrance to Valletta should not be turned into an unofficial car park.
“Now that we’ve invested so much money to have this beautiful building, we need to make sure that we keep out all cars. This is a pedestrian zone and should be respected by all. It is not acceptable that just a week after its inauguration, the building is already being surrounded by cars. We must be strict about this,” Prof. Dingli said.
Meanwhile, the V18 chairman said that his opposition to monti hawkers relocating close to the Parliament applied also to cars.
“This is a place for the people to enjoy – without any compromises,” he said.
A large area in front of the Central Bank has already been designated for MPs’ vehicles.
The only exceptions were made for the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House, to park their vehicles at the corner of Ordinance Street next to Palazzo Ferreria.
However, even in the case of these dignitaries, they can only use the parking places when Parliament is in session.