news

Drivers adapting to parking scheme

The newly introduced parking scheme in Victoria has created a limited but encouraging turnover of new parking spaces in the commercial centre, however shoppers are still nervous about visiting the central commercial zone because of the perception that the time constraints limit access for visitors.

Speaking to MaltaToday, the Chairperson of the Steering Committee entrusted with developing the scheme, Manuel Delia, said that the first detailed surveys gauging the effect of the system are currently underway.

"We could not start them any sooner because we needed to give the public some time to get used to the new system before we started enforcing the regulations through the wardens," Mr Delia said.

The initial picture indicates that in the commercial centre new spaces have been created for shoppers, closer to the shops they wish to visit. The central parking spaces of Victoria and Fontana are normally clogged with cars belonging to people who work in the area - commuters. Prior to the introduction of the scheme, cars belonging to office workers and shop owners used to occupy parking slots for eight solid hours.

Mr Delia pointed out that some shoppers have still not grasped the fact that even if the scheme is indeed a 'Residents' Scheme' it far from gives exclusive access to residents.

"On the contrary reducing commuter vehicles in the town centre allows visitors to drive and park more easily. We will be watching closely as the behaviour of visitors evolves over the coming days," Mr Delia explained.

The scheme was introduced on 26 November and is the first attempt of its kind in Malta to try and solve the parking problem in commercial town centres.

When asked by this newspaper about the zoning of the town, Mr Delia admitted that parking limitations may have been introduced on streets too far from the town centre to be used by visitors. He added that in some other streets, which were left without restrictions, commuter parking has overflowed into residential areas.

"The facts coming out of the survey will help us improve the lay out of the zones", Mr Delia said.

An interesting element that has emerged from the initial reactions is that some Rabat residents living just outside the city centre have felt underprivileged because the scheme does not cover their zone. Mr Delia said that in most cases, such complaints appear to be more an issue of pride rather then related to parking. "The matter needs to be considered over the coming weeks as well," he added.

The steering committee felt it was too early to express satisfaction with the scheme. The crux of the matter depends on whether the residents of the town centre, previously inconvenienced by congestion, will be living more comfortable. Another important factor is whether shop owners in the town centre, previously losing business to out-of-centre outlets with better parking facilities, have improved their business.

"Only when these two conditions are met will we be satisfied", Mr Delia said. The information obtained from the Rabat-Fontana experiment will in the future be used to develop similar systems to relieve parking problems in other congested traffic areas around the islands.