Last week was 10 years since I first moved to Valletta. The allure of living in the city was all there. Back then, things looked very promising.

From a car park with cement tiles, St George’s Square was turned into the very heart of the city. Many streets started being pedestrianised, the City Gate project was launched, and restoration of the bastions was in full swing. Valletta was again being rediscovered.

After three years of renting, I decided to make Valletta my home and was lucky enough to buy my own property. Things looked good.

Today, sadly, the city is being reduced to a cash cow. Whoever can lay his hands on a room or two is opening a bar or restaurant, those with more investment power are turning houses into guest houses – I will call them for what they are since I have nothing to gain from sounding flashy. Nothing wrong in reviving the city but at what price?

Congestion has never been as bad as today. Thousands of cars enter Valletta every day, just because no one bothered to put his foot down and create a system that guarantees more restricted access and consequently, cleaner air in the city. So much could be done in this respect. But hard decisions and votes will never be compatible. That’s why I’ll never make a good politician.

Waste management is in shambles. Confusion reigns. No one knows what time garbage needs to be taken out, and on the other hand, waste collection is taking place at all time of day. Refuse trucks enter pedestrian areas in late mornings or afternoons, at the dismay of tourists and us conscientious locals alike. Some cowboys drive around the city, shamelessly driving wrong way and no police in sight.

And the outright abuse. Go to Merchants Street and have a look at the Suq. That was once a square and now, a prime example of daylight robbery. That space was yours too. Now it belongs to its new owners. A few metres down, a corner restaurant was not happy with space for four to five tables. He took over the whole length of the street, encroaching in front of residents and other establishments.

One Sunday, he even lowered the tent that belonged to another restaurant 15 metres down, which is no longer open. A similar example is happening right beneath the old opera house. But some owners seem untouchable and protected.

V18 could have been the best excuse to take the more difficult decisions when it came to vehicular access, permits, development and `more

What about parking? Residents have been short-changed big time. Parking bays reserved for residents are being abused by non-residents. During the day, it is close to impossible to find parking. There must be some abuse going on somewhere along the line.

To make matters worse, the new guest houses are demanding one parking bay and sometimes two bays reserved for themselves. Go to Rome. Tourists walk to reach their hotel. What’s wrong with tourists being stopped right outside. Do we need to sacrifice all this parking? What if more guest houses keep opening? Are we going to keep providing them with more bays out of those allocated to residents?

Greed has no boundaries. It’s human nature. When someone gets an inch more, many will look around to see if anyone else is short-changing them by an extra two or three inches more. And eventually, they will want to short-change them back. But when will it stop? It won’t unless those who can do something about it decide to wake up.

V18 was an opportunity. Everyone was willing to jump on the bandwagon. I was too. It could have been the best excuse to take the more difficult decisions when it came to vehicular access, permits, development and more. People would have understood and obliged.

Instead, we turned it on its head, we polluted and politicised this event and those running it, used it to lessen controls and appease the ones close to them. V18 was meant to make us look at our culture and what defines us, with new eyes. Sadly, there will be no legacy when this year is over.

But Valletta is beyond all this. I would venture to say, we’re still in time to crack down on the abuse, the unruly development taking place in certain parts of the city, the sporadic mushrooming of tables chairs and umbrellas all over the place, the blatant abuse of parking bays.

But is there a political will? I very much doubt it.

James Vella Clark is PR and media relations manager.