Plans for a two-storey car park underneath a new sports complex on campus will not redirect traffic into residential roads, the University of Malta has said in response to claims made by architect Andre Pizzuto.
Pizzuto, who is also president of the chamber of architects, is leading a crowdfunding campaign to overturn a permit for the sports complex approved by the Planning Authority earlier this month.
Spearheading the appeal in his own capacity as a resident of the area, Pizzuto says the car park plans will reroute the existing entry for cars onto the Msida campus away from the Mater Dei Hospital-side entrance and main gate to a residential road in Gżira – Triq Edgar Bernard.
This, he argues, is in direct breach of planning policies and disincentivise students from seeking sustainable transport options.
Traffic will remain the same: University
The University of Malta rebutted such claims, saying its own studies indicate traffic patterns will likely remain the same if the project is implemented.
“Contrary to the claims made by Perit Pizzuto, the car park plans will not re-route the existing entry for vehicles away from the campus to a Gżira residential road,” Pierre Cassar, director of the university’s communications office said.
Continuous studies by the university, he added, indicate that a considerable percentage of cars entering the university precincts hail from the northern and central part of the island with the largest existing counts present in the Northern Gate, accessed through Mater Dei Hospital.
It is highly probable vehicles will continue to go through the university main entrance to the proposed car park through the university grounds and will not circulate residential roads in Gżira, Cassar said.
It is likely that only cars arriving from Sliema will access the car park from Gżira, which very likely already occurs, he noted.
A traffic noise impact study commissioned by the university found that peak traffic in the area is generated mostly in the morning from the exit point in Triq Edgar Bernard, ostensibly coming from cars belonging to residents, Cassar added.
To mitigate such impact, the plans were modified to include an additional exit point from the national pool car park area.
“The car park will have 1,000 spaces, including 400 for the exclusive use of residents and the public,” Cassar said.
Apart from alleviating “the significant” parking problems residents and those visiting the National Pool Complex face, it will also contribute to reduce on-street parking, Cassar continued.
“The 600 car spaces taken up by the university will enable the institution to eliminate the corresponding number of parking bays from the ring road and the Wied Għollieq car park, which will be reinstated as a rural zone,” Cassar said.
“By clearing the ring road of parked vehicles, commuting on foot on campus will become much safer than at present.
“Once finished, the car park will result in less cars circulating residential streets searching for parking bays. This will inevitably lead to less emissions and congestions, benefitting the Gżira community.”
The project would not be encouraging car dependence among students and staff as, despite the growing population on campus, the university has always stuck to the parking capacity, as set out in the 2006 local plan, while promoting alternative methods of green transport.
“The claim that overturning the application for the car park bears no impact on the sports complex itself beggars belief,” Cassar said.
Modern sports facilities will attract more athletes and teams, hence an underground car park is imperative to avoid clogging residential streets in the vicinity, he added.