Commuters who cross the channel between Malta and Gozo every day are complaining about the lack of parking spaces at the Mġarr terminal, insisting they often have no option but to park at Għajnsielem and walk down to the port.
Speaking to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity, the commuters said that a number of Gozo residents who make the journey to Malta every day were coming together to complain about the “unfair situation” at the port.
They argued that apart it taking as long two hours each way to travel between the islands, depending on the weather and traffic, they were now also struggling to find parking spaces at Mġarr.
The area, they said, takes around 160 cars, however most of the spaces are often taken up by car rental companies.
Additional spaces have recently also been blocked off for Gozo Channel staff.
“We already feel they shouldn’t be taking spots for commercial reasons from a public car park that is supposedly exclusive for daily commuters, so imagine our dismay when in recent weeks we found that some 25 to 30 parking spots had been reserved for ‘pass holders’,” one of the commuters told the Times of Malta.
Contacted about this, Gozo Channel CEO Joe Cordina confirmed there was a problem at Mġarr and pointed out that a number of spaces had to be allocated to the ferry staff, as most were being taken by the rental companies.
“We are aware of the situation and we are working on it. The problem is that at present the car park is open to the public, and so the rental companies have taken to parking their vehicles there.
“We have put up signs that state that only Gozo Channel customers can make use of the spaces and for not longer than 24 hours, but it seems that even with wardens patrolling the area, abuse is still rampant,” Mr Cordina said.
Referring to the 25 to 30 spots that have been reserved for pass holders, the CEO insisted that despite strict enforcement, with the company engaging wardens to patrol the area, as well as having some of its employees on site, the problem had escalated to the point that spots had to be reserved for employees.
“It’s not an easy feat, because the parking area is open to the public and parking is not against a charge. But we are working on solving the issue, because we are aware many commuters are impacted,” Mr Cordina promised.
claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com
Gozo Channel CEO Joe Cordina said the company is “working on solving the issue, because we are aware many commuters are impacted”. PHOTO: DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI