Transport Malta has removed two “illegal” reserved parking bays in Luqa that remained in place for months.

The transport regulator removed the bays one day after Times of Malta sent questions about the bays to the authority.

Earlier this week, a concerned Luqa resident who asked not to be named contacted Times of Malta to complain about two reserved parking bays in G Tragance Street that had been there for months.

He said private cars had occupied the bays while sporting temporary permits issued by the local council. Those permits listed the registration plate of the relevant vehicle.

When Times of Malta visited the street, it found two yellow boxes painted on the road, one with the word ‘reserved’.

The resident said he felt angry at "helpless" about what appeared to be preferential treatment for some motorists, arguing he had to pay €60,000 for a garage while some get the bays for free.

The resident complained to Transport Malta about the bays, which acknowledged that the reserved parking bays were illegal. 

In a letter to the council dated October 15 and seen by Times of Malta, Transport Malta told the Luqa local council to “immediately” remove the “illegal” bays. The letter included photos of the offending parking spaces.

Transport Malta told the council the bays were illegal in a letter dated October 15.

Despite that order, the bays remained in place and no action was taken, despite repeated unanswered reminders sent to council and Local Government Ministry officials.

The resident said he contacted Transport Malta “at least 10 times” about the issue, but despite assurances the matter was being tackled, the bays remained in place.

Keen not to unduly criticise, however, he added that the official he had spoken with at the authority had been “very helpful.”

On Thursday afternoon, Times of Malta sent questions to the transport authority asking if any enforcement action would be taken against the council for failing to remove the bays and whether TM would remove them itself.

The next day, the bays were removed by the authority and replaced with white parking boxes.

A car parking in one of the new white bays installed following media enquiries to Transport Malta. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Mayor: Bays were there to help residents with disability

In comments earlier this week, Luqa Mayor John Schembri said the bays were to assist residents with a disability. He said the markings were a temporary arrangement until permanent disabled bays were in place.

The resident said that while he had seen one vehicle displaying a disabled badge, another using one of the bays had not.

Asked why the bays had not been removed as ordered by TM, Schembri said it had been raining the day the council planned to remove them. He stressed that he was "busy all the time.”

The mayor rejected accusations of preferential treatment, adding “I am the mayor, and I don’t have reserved parking.”

Contacted again following the bays’ removal, the resident said he was pleased the bays had been removed “but the problem persists,” claiming there were at least another four similar reserved parking spaces in the locality.

The resident said he has now filed complaints about the other bays.

Reserved parking spaces for disabled residents must be authorised by Transport Malta, with communal disabled parking bays placed as close as possible to public areas such as churches and schools, according to the authority's website.

Personalised parking spaces close to disabled residents’ homes, meanwhile, must display the residents’ blue badge number or registration plate, the website says.

Questions sent to Transport Malta earlier this week remain unanswered at the time of publication.