Updated 5pm

Talk of roofing over part of Regional Road in Santa Venera was a step in the right direction, Alternattiva Demokratika said on Saturday as it praised the government for taking up the proposal.

The Environment Ministry on Friday announced that a feasibility study into the possibility of roofing over part of Regional Road would be undertaken. Doing so would reduce air and noise pollution and create space to be used as a green open area for locals, the ministry said. 

On Saturday, Alternattiva Demokratika noted that the roofing idea had first been pitched by its youth wing Alternattiva Demokratika Żagħżagħ, who had consulted with residents before presenting the idea.

The idea was subsequently included in the Labour Party's 2017 electoral manifesto. 

The party however cautioned that adding a roof over part of Regional Road would not in itself solve problems caused by excessive car use. Instead, the party said, the government had to embrace a holistic traffic strategy that made a concerted effort to reduce  the number of cars on local roads, rather than simply focus on building new roads to keep up with traffic. 

"The PN and the PL have only shown interest in the latter, and the results are clear, even in Santa Venera,"  AD said. "The results are there for everyone to see: traffic has increased and noise and air pollution have made people's lives a living hell. Just ask those residents above Triq Regjonali."