AD want less traffic and noise, more buses in St Julian’s

Serious measures must be taken to ease traffic and to reduce air and noise pollution in St Julian’s and Paceville, Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola said.

“St Julian’s and Paceville are major tourist areas, with a high concentration of traffic, and consequent air and noise pollution,” Cassola said. “It is therefore imperative that serious measures are taken in order to help reduce pollution and ease the traffic gridlock.”

He called for the enforcement of the law that regulates noise levels allowed in commercial establishments and bye-laws that prevent contractors from occupying pavements with their cranes for long periods of time.

Julio Caruana, AD candidate for St Julian’s, said that the local council must increase the number of open spaces in St. Julian’s, ensure that the water in the Ballutta and Spinola bays remain batheable and non-polluted.

“A system for the collection of run off water should be devised to prevent this from depositing all sorts of waste into the sea,” Caruana said. “As an elected councillor, I will work for the implementation of an efficient collection of electronic waste and of used clothes, on the model of the system successfully implemented in H'Attard.  As regards domestic waste, more user friendly literature on the different types and times of waste collection should be distributed amongst residents.”

He also said that the public transport system should be reinforced, particularly in the spring-summer period when the tourist concentration is highest.

“It is also imperative that more ticket vending machines are installed along the whole St. Julian's - Sliema sea front,” Caruana said. “Ensuring that the St. Julian’s local library is made more accessible to users will also be a priority for me as an elected councillor.”