Updated on 10 August at 6:30pm

An initiative to ‘slow down’ traffic has hit a brick wall, with the Local Councils Association expressing frustration over a lack of funding for the initiative.

Association president Mario Fava said that due to a lack of a centralised system for funding, he has been left to solicit money from various sources to keep the so-called Slow Streets project alive. But despite his best efforts and praise from stakeholders, he has not even received a fraction of the initiative's estimated cost.

“I feel a bit frustrated because the money never came... Once I managed to come up with a feasible project, I should have been able to access funds more easily instead of having to apply for different schemes. It would be easier to have something more centralised,” said Fava.

The Slow Streets Initiative, part of the Residents First project, aims to prioritise pedestrians over cars. It emphasises temporary traffic-calming measures in town centres and redirecting traffic to the peripheries, ensuring mobility within localities is safe, sustainable, healthy and efficient. The initiative also promotes pedestrianisation and public open spaces.

€8.3m for the project to get going

The Local Councils Association estimates that €8.3 million are needed for the project to get going. But only €200,000 have been allocated to the project in four years.

The €200,000 allocation was made by former Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia.

The initiative initially garnered interest from 46 localities, but only Żejtun, Safi and Swieqi received partial support.

According to Fava, between €150,000 and €200,000 is needed for each of the localities interested. This amount would cover architectural and other professional fees, planters, road-marking signs and paint, branded bollards and barriers, and project management fees.

Fava said Żejtun has a bill of quantities for the whole project and traffic signs ready. Safi began working on the initiative but, due to budgetary constraints, had to focus just on the square and not the surrounding traffic management. In Swieqi, discussions about the initiative paused due to the recent elections but are expected to resume.

“We started consulting with the people of the different localities, they agreed to proceed, we began working on it, and then we had to say there were no funds,” said Fava.

The initiative emphasises temporary traffic-calming measures in town centres and redirecting traffic to the peripheries.

Initiative resurfaced after plans to drop Mosta Square pedestrianisation 

The Slow Streets Initiative resurfaced in public discourse after the new Mosta mayor announced plans to halt the partial pedestrianisation of the town square, following complaints from residents and business owners.

To Fava, the positive aspect of the Mosta debate is that it has sparked a debate. However, he finds it difficult to understand the business owners’ opposition, pointing out that more open space could mean more people enjoying meals ‘al fresco’. Additionally, there are more opportunities for events to draw people to the square.

Antoine Zammit, founder of Studjurban, the architecture firm that designed many of the plans for the Slow Streets Initiative, said that despite the project's financing issues, he still saw some signs of progress. 

The whole point of the initiative was to experiment with ideas and try them out gradually to see if they could work, while actively listening to residents and eventually implementing something more permanently, he said. 

Some local councils have independently adopted elements of the initiative, and Gozo is leading in this respect.

Xagħra, Sannat, and Xewkija have temporarily converted streets into safe social spaces for children to play, residents to mingle, and community activities to take place. In Xewkija, the village square is closed to traffic every Saturday and Sunday, allowing the community to enjoy the space without cars.

Simona Refalo, the mayor of Xewkija, reminisced about playing in the village square as a child and expressed her desire to “keep Xewkija in Xewkija” by creating weekend events that encourage residents to gather in the square.

“Life is too fast-paced, and we are all so cut off from one another, but the square is what brings us all together,” Refalo said.

Update: According to Fava, since the interview was conducted he met with the new CEO of Infrastructure Malta, Steve Ellul. As a result of the meeting, Infrastructure Malta said it will now be dedicating some funds to the Slow Streets initiative.