The mystery was explained by the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) yesterday. In response to questions sent by TMID, ADT public relations manager Daniela Borg Mizzi said some reserved parking bays had been removed because the disabled persons’ health “had improved”; unfortunately, their health “deteriorated again” and their reserved parking bay was reassigned to them.
TMID has learnt that in some cases the parking bays were reassigned within a few days of their being withdrawn.
The reserved parking spaces are allotted to people only under special circumstances, such as to people with disabilities. Sources told TMID that Sliema local council had asked for the removal of a number of these spaces following reports that some of the holders were not genuinely entitled to them.
The allotment of these reserved parking spaces is the responsibility of the ADT. It seems that after an investigation on the part of the authority, a number of spaces were removed and made available to the public, only to be reallocated a short while after to these allegedly “abusive” holders.
Sources said that among the reasons for the original removal of such spaces there were cases where a family holding the reserved parking owned no car, which nullifies the need for such a reservation.
Another case is of an individual who held a reserved parking in front of the house while having a garage a few metres away – a clear breach of the regulations covering these reserved spaces.
Many Sliema residents are angry at the reversal of the decision, especially in view of the bad parking situation in the locality. Many protested to the local council which, in turn, sent a letter to the ADT asking for explanations.
In a letter dated 9 June, the local council asked the authority’s chairman for the reasons behind the authority’s change of mind. The local council also reported that it had a number of complaints about the issue.
The Traffic Management Directorate director replied on 15 June, saying that the information requested by the council could not be divulged because of the data protection act.
The ADT now has replied to TMID that the bays were assigned, removed and reassigned because of the health improvement/deterioration factor.