From Mr T. Dix

I live at The Strand in Sliema, just across the road from where the Captain Morgan boats leave on their harbour tours. Rows of coaches line the road, blocking one of the lanes of a busy road every single day of the week at about 5pm and this causes traffic problems. As we all know parking in Sliema is extremely problematic and in short supply. All buildings in Sliema must now have underground garages in order to try and free up more parking space. However, most blocks of flats only have one parking space per flat and, as a rule, residents have more than one car. The problem of parking is compounded by the fact that the majority of offices and almost all shops in Sliema do not have garages and their employees obviously need to park somewhere nearby to get to their workplace. You may wonder what is being done about this problem.

Well the ADT (Transport Authority) came up with the bright idea of painting big yellow parking bays all along the harbour side of the road, starting from the bus stop at the Ferries all the way to where all the bars and restaurants lining the road finish. There is a sign above these parking bays warning that there is no stopping or parking in these spaces between 8:30 and 10am, from 5 to 6:30pm and 6:45 to 7:30pm except for either alighting or boarding of these coaches. These coaches now park in these parking bays as well as in one lane of the street during peak times (5pm onwards), therefore one lane of the street is closed.

These parking bays were introduced without consulting the residents of this street. I parked on that side of the street last Friday as there was no parking on the other side of the road. I have to be at work in Swatar at 9am and it normally takes under 10 minutes to drive there.

However, if I now park on that side of the road, I have to leave my house before 8:30am otherwise I will risk getting a ticket. I left my house at 8:40am on Friday of last week. The only vehicles parked in those yellow bays were my car and two minivans, with not a single coach to be seen. To my dismay, I found a ticket on my car issued by an ADT employee. I approached him and tried to explain that I live across the road and the reason I had not removed my car, which had been parked there from the night before, was because I had to take this important phone call. Considering that almost all of the parking bays were empty, I asked if he could take back the ticket. The reply I got was the following:

“I don’t care. It does not matter that you are a resident and that your car has been there since the night before. If you park (there) for five seconds after the (stated) time I will give you a ticket”

That afternoon I noticed that, along with all the coaches parked in the bays, there was a Captain Morgan car without a ticket. I went downstairs to ask the ADT employee on duty why he had not given the Captain Morgan car, which had been parked there for the last hour a ticket. He replied: “Captain Morgan cars have permission to park.” I asked why, with all the parking these coaches have now been given, they still park in the street (some of them for over an hour) blocking one lane of the main road without being given a ticket. He replied “Where do you want them to park. I can’t give them a ticket, imsieken (poor things).” One of the bus drivers then informed me that the fine was Lm45! That is what I earn in a week teaching English at a language school.

This must be the only country in the world, which, with parking at a premium, decides that residents of this street should not be allowed to park across the road from their house in order to facilitate the business of a private company, Captain Morgan. I know people will ask what solution can be found and I would suggest the following:

• Let Sliema residents park there, at least in the mornings without the risk of getting a ticket.

• Reduce the number of parking bays for coaches from 20 (roughly 1,000 passenger capacity on these coaches and enough space for 40 parked cars instead) to five coach bays plus space for two minivans (nearly 300 passenger capacity which is more than one single boat holds) and this would free up parking for at least 20 cars.

• Prevent the buses from parking there for what is sometimes over an hour or two and instead regulate it so that they are only allowed to park for 15 minutes in order to drop off or pick up passengers. If this does not fit in with the departure times of the boats, stagger the departure times.

• If they need to wait around somewhere close by they could wait at Manoel Island, or

• Better still, no coaches are allowed to park there and all passengers dropped off at Manoel Island, who can then take a five-minute walk on the picturesque front. I don’t understand what would be wrong with that apart from Captain Morgan’s service being slightly less convenient than it is for their clients, or

• Create an area for Captain Morgan boats to depart from Manoel Island, and have all boats depart from there.

If the ADT will not do something about this, can the local council, if it has the interests of its residents at heart, kindly see to it?

Attached are some photos of the situation in the afternoon as well as that of an ADT employee who was on duty at the time. The last three pictures show every bay empty at 17:38 and 17:52 with two coaches double parked and blocking the street. The majority of these bays remained empty until 19:30 when cars are allowed to park there again.

Theo Dix

SLIEMA