The capital city of this country, which is usually considered as a gem even though its present state conveys more the impression of a construction site rather than a majestic and fortified capital, undoubtedly manages to attract a significant amount of people on a daily basis for various reasons.
To complement this influx of people, a substantial and diverse business activity has developed and flourished to provide the services required and the business community has become an important player in this respect.
In normal circumstances, entrepreneurs lamenting and complaining about various matters concerning their business and access to the capital city are usually treated with respect due to their importance for the local economy. Sometimes, however, certain situations are created, in all probability unintentionally, which create controversy and anguish to the business community, which goes diametrically opposite to the dictum of sustaining the economy.
The latest uproar to be created concerns the road works planned for St Paul Street in Valletta. The ‘opposition’ to the works seems to be somewhat out of proportion when considering that after all this is supposed to be an upgrade to the present condition of this important vehicle access point to the capital. The initiative by the Valletta local council to upgrade this busy road can only be considered as positive and the planned upgrade to the infrastructure should surely benefit the residents that live there.
What must have raised the ire towards the planned road works was the method used to convey the message and the anticipated disruption that the closure of the road caused for a prolonged period of time. In the first instance, the need to repair St Paul Street has long been felt judging from the state of the road. Perhaps the unnecessary frustration by the anticipated road closure could have been alleviated to a certain extent had the works been completed before the recent traffic diversion came into force to enable the works on city gate to continue as planned.
The required foresight to prevent such anguish seems to be lacking by the different authorities and entities responsible for the upkeep of the capital city, which should be collaborating and cooperating between themselves to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure and avoid such situations. Nevertheless, a convenient solution has to be found on a suitable traffic deviation which works in practice to permit access to the capital city. This might sound like a trivial matter to people who do not require vehicular access to the capital city on a frequent basis. However, businesses operating in the capital require a regular supply of goods and services to continue with their trade and residents naturally require access to their homes.
The news that half of the works will be carried out next year does not solve the accessibility issues which have been highlighted by the business community and a suitable traffic plan has to be devised to serve both residents and businesses. While appreciating that the current works on city gate and the planned road works will embellish the capital city, life has to go on for residents and the business community cannot be expected to stop operating due to insufficient planning and foresight.