Pedestrianising village cores is a great idea, but unless the empty squares and streets are given life with attractions, simply closing them off to traffic will be counterproductive, according to a Gozo mayor who has been doing it for four years.

Għajnsielem mayor Kevin Cauchi, who has just kicked off the Pjazza Pedonali (Pedestrianised Square) weekends initiative for the fourth year, told Times of Malta that pedestrianising the village core was successful on most weekends, but only because the council complemented it with a myriad of open-air dinners, concerts, street games, barbecues, disco nights, and other family attractions.

Times of Malta contacted Cauchi to find out whether the initiative has paid off in Għajnsielem, after the mayor of Mosta announced plans to halt the partial pedestrianisation of the town square.

People are not used to simply going out to an empty village square, he explained. Maybe that will grow on them in the future, but until then, simply closing off a village core without providing alternative attractions would lead to ghost streets, frustrated residents who take longer to get home, furious motorists who are faced with diversions, and struggling businesses that see fewer customers.

And that will only dissuade everyone from pursuing the much-needed slow-streets concept, he said.

“I’ve learned this from experience because we have been doing it for four years now,” he said, adding he understands where the Mosta local council was coming from when it reconsidered pedestrianisation.

Traditional games, open cinema and sports

On Saturdays and Sundays throughout summer, the Għajnsielem local council closes two streets that lead to the main square between 7pm and midnight, essentially closing off the village core to cars and diverting traffic through other routes.

It also opens a football pitch within the same area to allow children to have a larger space to play. The council says, in total, it frees up over 25,000 square metres of car-free space for all to enjoy.

But that is not enough, Cauchi insists. The two catering establishments housed at the football and band clubs help to attract people, and the local council has been topping that up with a summer-long schedule of cultural and musical events.

Dubbed Iljieli Sajfin (Summer Nights), the initiative offers food, music, tombolas, traditional games, an open cinema and child-friendly drama, and sports events from July through September.

“That’s why pedestrianisation works in Valletta and Sliema, because there are places to go and things to do,” he said, adding that he fears that villages will have a tougher time making it work if they do not have more to offer.

“That’s also why people don’t complain when village cores are closed off during feast week each year, because feasts are filled with attractions.”

Nostalgic, but impractical

Cauchi, who was re-elected mayor for a second term last June, said it is understandable that people fall in love with the idea of closing a village core to traffic, as it takes them to a more tranquil time, when island life was quieter and families would entertain themselves simply by congregating in village squares to discuss life as their children played and ran around the safe, inviting streets.

But as dreamy as that nostalgic image might be, that tradition is not as popular today, and families now entertain themselves differently, he said. Most of them will not just go to an empty village square to sit on a bench.

“And even if you do go sit on a bench with your family, for how long are you going to do that?” he said.

“We still haven’t succeeded in persuading enough residents to come to the square on foot or by bicycle, even though we have been encouraging them to do so.”

During the pedestrianised hours, many families still opt to get to the village core by car and park in a car park close to the church, he said.

“Unlike other villages, we’re lucky to have that car park, but ideally people don’t use their cars. As a nation, we have no problem walking everywhere when we go abroad but it seems we still can’t tolerate walking short distances when we’re at home.”

Slow streets growing fast

Several localities have recently taken up pedestrianisation measures or have opted to start implementing the ‘slow streets’ initiative.

The idea is to close off the village core and streets leading to it for traffic to reclaim urban spaces from cars and prioritise pedestrians and cyclists.

It has been given fresh impetus in recent years by architect firm Studjurban, which is currently collaborating with the Local Councils’ Association on its nationwide Slow Streets Project, a programme designed to limit traffic on certain residential streets.

But, for some localities, it has been a bumpy ride. Others have hit a financial roadblock, expressing frustration over a lack of funding for the initiative.

The latest controversy erupted in Mosta, when the new, PN-led local council announced it was reconsidering the partial pedestrianisation of the square – which was implemented earlier this year – due to a string of complaints from residents and businesses in the area.

Residents complained of heavy traffic along the alternative routes, and businesses said customers were staying away.

Cauchi – himself a PN mayor – said he could understand why such a seemingly good initiative could turn counterproductive and urged for more funding to be made available for local councils to invest in the idea.