Pedestrianisation should be prioritised in Malta's village and town squares, with their primary use being for the enjoyment of the public, ADPD said on Saturday.
In a press conference in Mosta on Saturday morning, ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar said that the way the saga of the Mosta Square has unfolded exposed both the council and the central government of lacking the vision for pedestrianisation as a positive goal for the locality.
“The government still does not have a clear policy that gives priority to pedestrianisation and invents policy according to the necessities of the political rivalry between the PN and the PL, a form of rivalry that Mosta is now well known for," Cassar said.
The PN leadership of the Mosta council shows it does not believe that the locality deserves to have a "real" square, he continued.
"It shows that they are not serious, that they lack vision and that they are quick to abandon the goals of people-friendly spaces, giving in to the loudest ill-informed naysayers."
Pedestrianising the square would present countless benefits for its users, Cassar said, and promote an outdoor space that can be used by all. Aside from reducing traffic, the move will also serve to bolster local businesses.
Critics 'opposing progress'
ADPD chair Sandra Gauci said that those who are against pedestrianising the square are opposing "true progress"
She said it was facetious to argue that people were not making use of the square when it was closed to traffic, but irrespective of that, decreasing traffic in the heart of Mosta, should in and of itself be considered a good thing.
"As if there needs to be crowds for something to be good. The pedestrianization of Pjazza Rotunda should become permanent. This is what Mosta deserves," she said.
Mosta's councillors should stop playing parochial politics, as their opposition to pedestrianisation is showing them up for people who would rather a national monument like the Rotunda serve as a roundabout than build a healthy urban environment, she said.
"We want the Mosta square, Pjazza Rotunda, to truly become a square for people and not just at the weekend," she said.
"A square through which traffic passes is not a square at all but just a road like any other road."
Gauci added that the central government should have been clear about the conditions under which funding was given to the project and insisted that the Rotunda area should have been given back to the community.
"The government must be clear about what it wants for the whole country with regards to urban planning policy, sustainable mobility and pedestrianisation," she said.
"If the government is convinced that pedestrianisation is good for people's health, it should have the courage to take the necessary decisions – including proper funding - for pedestrianisation projects throughout the country."