I refer to Matthew Xuereb’s article entitled “No-car zone in Bisazza Street (TMID, 15 October). Looking at the picture on page 3, surely it shows that Bisazza Street is not that busy not to remain a thoroughfare. In the picture there is just a couple crossing the road, and hardly any people on the pavements, and this at around noon (see the couple’s shadow on the road).

Minister George Pullicino had been hammering the idea of pedestrianising (Lower Tower Road) and Bisazza Street, since the early 1990s, but as far as we (Qui-si-Sana and Tigne area residents) know, the whole idea had been shelved.

Surely it is not fair to oblige Qui-si-Sana and Tigne residents, to suffer the effects of all traffic flow unnecessarily.

I have been writing in all local papers, and discussed personally with Mr Pullicino, an alternative scheme to nobody’s detriment.

Surely, if Bisazza Street becomes a pedestrian area, no cars will be allowed to park (actually, today some 17 cars can park there). Consequently, I have suggested that:

Both pavements on each side of the road are widened, leaving enough space to allow a bus (or a truck) to pass comfortably, and each pavement to have a marked line running along the centre of the pavement to allow an area for residents or others to park after shop hours, say 7pm till 9am on working days, and 24 hours on holidays.

No parking allowed on working days during shop hours, say 9am till 7pm.

Surely, it does not cost much to have both pavements widened and there is nothing wrong in giving this idea a trial for one year or six months.

Aldo Portelli

SLIEMA