Road improvements

At the eleventh hour, the Chamber of Architects suddenly decides Msida centre needs to be turned into a garden and the traffic from Pietà to Sliema and to the Birkirkara bypass diverted into Birkirkara centre. Did I get their alternative plan correctly?

I didn’t quite understand what happens in Birkirkara centre with their alternative plan. Did I miss a sketch of this alternative route?

The Marsa flyover project. Photo: Jonathan Borg

By the way, Msida residents already have a garden in nearby Pietà and have access to the loveliest walkable promenade in Malta – to Pietà one way and to Sliema the other way.

Do I sense here another version of the good-doers and tree-huggers that predicted disaster for central Attard with the Mrieħel/Attard bypass? Central Attard’s environment has never been better since our bypass opened.

Those who claim all road improvements, including the Kappara, Marsa, Albert Town, Santa Luċija and airport flyovers and other road upgrades around Malta, have been a total waste of time and money need to take a hypocrisy test. That doesn’t mean that our National Audit Office shouldn’t be more involved in timely assessment of expensive projects.

Traffic congestion in this overpopulated island has become a political football with neither side really anticipating its acceleration. About 20 years ago, a consulting German expert advised us to narrow the roads to slow down the traffic – that’s when we should have been consulting civil engineering experts about a metro system.

Both political parties are afraid of removing free street parking.

Most self-employed moving from one location to another in the day do not find public transport of any use.

And most of us do not wish risking suicide or euthanasia by bicycle.

ALBERT CILIA-VINCENTI – Attard

Meaningful enforcement

How absolutely wonderful, and well done to all concerned, to read (July 12) that a pastizzi vendor had been fined €3,000 for not issuing the legal fiscal receipt to a customer.

It reminded me of an incident during my student days in Rome. As I walked out of a pizzeria that I habitually used and stepped onto the pavement, I was confronted by a smart, well-dressed (in civvies) person who simply said “Scontrino per piacere…” (receipt, please).

As I had not been given one, he politely asked me to accompany him back into the pizzeria. He then strongly admonished and fined the pizzeria owner.

It is this on-the-ground, daily enforcement that absolutely needs to be stepped up here.

John Consiglio – Birkirkara