Sliema council fears repeat of St Patrick's Day traffic 'chaos'
Council says it is being frozen out of traffic management talks
Updated 10.55am
Sliema’s local council has said it is being frozen out of talks to ensure traffic flows smoothly on St Patrick’s Day.
In a statement issued on Saturday morning, the local council said it met with Transport Malta’s traffic management board twice in recent weeks to ensure coordination and traffic flow planning for the March 17 annual event.
“During these meetings, the Council made its position very clear: we will not tolerate a repeat of the traffic chaos experienced last year, which caused significant disruption to our locality and to the daily lives of our residents,” the council said.
It was then not invited to attend a third and final meeting to discuss the issue, it said, accusing traffic planners of having “intentionally sidelined” the council.
“This situation is totally unacceptable. Decisions of this nature directly impact the traffic flow, safety, and well-being of Sliema residents, and the Local Council, being the authority closest to the community, must be fully involved in such discussions,” it said.
Ongoing roadworks made the situation even more complicated and challenging to manage, the council noted.
Sliema and St Julian's clash
Sliema Mayor John Pillow said the council was excluded from that final meeting because of his counterpart in St Julian's.
"St Julian’s local council did not want Sliema local council involved in traffic management for St Patrick's Day," he told Times of Malta. "We had two good meeting with Transport Malta - which nobody from St Julian's attended."
St Julian's Mayor Guido Dalli said that was not the case.
"We did not attend the first meetings because they were premature - roadworks were still in flux at that point. The last meeting we held with Transport Malta, Infrastructure Malta and LESA indicates everything will be well organised," Dalli said.
This year's St Patrick's Day festivities could potentially disrupted by rain, he added.
An annual street party
Thousands of people gather in Sliema’s neighbouring town St Julian’s every year for St Patrick’s Day, for a massive street party that forces multiple road closures and diversions.
The St Julian’s local council has warned people to expect various diversions and posted details about bus diversions that will operate on the day.
Diversions in St Julian’s have historically led to significant traffic congestion further upstream, in towns like Sliema, Pembroke and San Ġwann. Last year, the Sliema local council accused its St Julian’s counterpart of failing to consult and discuss traffic arrangements ahead of the event.
St Julian’s mayor Guido Dalli had countered by saying there was no central organiser of St Patrick’s Day celebrations and that little could be done to avoid congestion, given the need to close roads to ensure pedestrian safety.
"Had the Sliema Local Council and the mayor not made a fuss about it on Facebook, nobody would have noticed," The Malta Independent quoted Dalli as saying.