Cars will flow through Mosta. ‘We’ll enjoy the square again,’ says new mayor

“In a few days we will start enjoying the Mosta Square again,” Joseph Gatt, the Nationalist mayor of Mosta said today.

But unlike previous plans to close down the square to traffic on select days, a move championed by the former Labour-led council, this time, the square will be open to car traffic all the time. The PN does not agree with the pedestrianisation of this major artery through which cars from the north often cross into and drive on to the centre of the island and on to Valletta.

Gatt has complained that the decision to have Mosta closed to traffic was taken without public consultation. “From 1 November 2024 onwards, the Square will be open all the time. This, after Transport Malta took the decision, without consulting us as local government, to close Mosta Square every Friday and Saturday evening until the end of October 2024,” he said on Facebook.

Gatt however is dubbing the return of traffic on weekend nights as “free access”.

“Free access to the square not only strengthens community spirit, but also offers more opportunities for local businesses and facilitates movement for all Mosta residents.”

Gatt said many had expressed their views in consultation meetings organised by the local council. “After these consultations, as we already promised, a final report will be prepared which will be brought back to the Council’s table for discussion,” he said.

“The government as well as the governmental authorities will hopefully understand that the local government enjoys autonomy as stipulated in the law, and we expect that such autonomy will be respected.”

Transport Malta has replied to Gatt, saying that since last week, a formal process had been initiated to extend the hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 PM to midnight, allowing Mosta Square to be “enjoyed by families”.

“The response over the past two months to the reduced traffic closure on Friday and Saturday evenings has been positive. This arrangement was communicated to the Department of Information on Friday, October 25, 2024, and will be published in tomorrow’s edition of the Government Gazette.

“It is unfortunate that an important initiative like this is encountering obstacles from the Local Council, rather than support, especially given that there appears to be a national consensus in favour of fewer vehicles on the roads and greater accessibility for the public.”

Transport Malta said it remains open to dialogue to introduce more initiatives that discourage the use of cars in squares and enhance access to Maltese and Gozitan squares.