Gear, a Junior Achievement Young Enterprise company formed by sixth form students from St Martin’s College, has developed Park It Easy (Pie), a system that enables drivers to park their cars in empty parking spaces in front of garages with the garage owners’ consent.
The system focuses on Swieqi and Sliema and operates through the website www.gearmalta.com.
The students said that although the two towns were very congested, many houses and their garages were empty or unoccupied on a seasonal basis or during working hours.
Garage owners or drivers wishing to participate in the system register their details and parking requirements online and the system’s administrators seek to cross-match the requirements with parking slots available on the database. If a match is made, the drivers and garage owners are put in contact with each other to reach an agreement.
The system is supported by the Swieqi and Sliema local councils.
The students said Transport Malta’s Roads Directorate had also asked to meet them to discuss the possibility of disseminating the system throughout the Maltese islands.