If the authorities continued to insist on closing Bisazza Street, steps have to be taken to alleviate the Tigné Seafront traffic flow which was currently choked, Midi said in a statement this morning.

Pointing out that it never requested or put pressure on the government or any other authority to pedestrianise Bisazza Street or to reduce parking at The Ferries, the company said it had stated time and again that the ideal solution for the area would have been to open both Bisazza Street and the Qui si Sana seafront so that motorists would be able to choose between the two, as they did in the past.

Funnelling all Sliema's arterial traffic through one single route was bound to cause congestion, whereas splitting it would have resulted in a smoother traffic flow and fewer tailbacks, it said.

Midi said that if the authorities continued to insist on closing Bisazza Street, steps had to be taken to alleviate the Tigné Seafront traffic flow which was currently choked with a combination of herringbone parking, 'double parked' cars hovering for vacant spaces, an unofficial double-decker sightseeing tour bus terminus and other hindrances which should have been seen to before the tunnel was opened.

Ben Muscat, on behalf of Midi plc said:

"The Point Shopping Mall and Pjazza Tigné were designed to complement and enhance the existing retail product at The Ferries to establish Sliema as Malta's leading shopping destination.

"We would like to reiterate that, in our view, the shopping experience in Sliema needs to be approached in a more holistic manner and that the two busy retail areas should be viewed by planners as one homogeneous zone."

"A large number of shop owners now have substantial business interests in both these areas and thousands of shoppers frequent both zones on a regular basis – they deserve nothing less," he said.