Parking nightmares

The influx of holiday makers usually brings awkward problems to the local authorities in Gozo, especially with regard to traffic congestion and the acute lack of parking space. Regrettably, no concrete measures whatsoever have been taken to tackle these problems, despite promises.

Now that parking discrimination with Victoria residents has been rectified, other Gozo residents have had their parking spaces in Victoria restricted further because of a conversion of Agius De Soldanis School's playground into a pay car park.

Until two weeks ago this much needed car park was accessible to the public, free of charge, on Friday afternoons and Saturdays all year round, including summer. Then, surprisingly, a small notice was fixed to inform motorists that: "This is a private car park managed by CT Park Ltd on behalf of the Agius De Soldanis School council..."

Three days ago, another notice was added: "Please... pay the parking fee." However, there is still no indication that the tariff is a hefty 60c charge, no matter how long the car is parked for. This fee is considered quite high compared to the pay-per-use car parks in Malta.

The problem should have been given adequate advance notice that the car park has now been handed over to the school council and that a fee is being charged.

It is a good idea for the school council to earn some revenue by using the adjoining land for public use. However, the fees it charges should be moderate.

Traffic congestion near terminus

Another problem which has been irking motorists and disrupting the flow of traffic in Victoria is the congestion created every time a bus drives down through the bottle-neck road from St Francis Square to the bus terminus.

Buses have to drive the wrong way down because all roads leading to the southern villages and resorts are narrow and winding and it is impossible to drive a bus through them towards the terminus.

In such chaotic situations the bus keeps on waiting while incessant horn-hooting is heard at the top of Main Gate Street for the upgoing traffic to stop at the junction with Salvatore Psaila Street. Meanwhile, traffic jams form behind the waiting bus and create a traffic jam for vehicles going round St Francis fountain towards Vajringa Street.

When finally the traffic moving up stops to give way for the bus to drive down towards the terminus, two long queues of traffic are formed and create congestion down the whole of Main Gate Street as well as Salvatore Psaila Street till the edge of the main car park.

Surely, traffic lights would help avoid unnecessary congestion and confusion.

Unimplemented projects

It is true that a lot of preparatory work in connection with studies and impact assessments have been carried out. Thousands of liri were spent on the reports. However, here is a list of projects that have accumulated volumes of paperwork but have not been implemented.

1. The Victoria bypass project connecting Viani Road to Marsalforn Road has long been drawn up and plans submitted and approved. The bypass will relieve the heavy traffic, even in winter time, passing through Republic Street in Victoria.

2. The communal centre was intended to solve all parking problems in Victoria and to house a number of social services departments, including the new Gozo law courts. However, this has also been shelved although the Cabinet had approved it in one of its rare meetings in Gozo.

3. The proposed Citadel parking is another classic example of a private initiative being hindered by Mepa bureaucracy. The project, if carried out, will enhance the derelict surroundings and parking problems in and around the Citadel will be solved.

If, as MEPA states, the number of cars will create instability to Citadel's modest bastions, then the same line of reasoning should apply with regard to the thousands of cars which park and pass through the Valletta ditches.