Works at National Pool car park begin

The Malta Sports Council has said that works are being carried out at the National Pool car park in Tal-Qroqq, Msida, in order to improve the parking system.

Just three days ago, the Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Stefan Buontempo, caused uproar amongst parents of members of Skola Sports and regular swimmers when he ordered the car park to be closed off after an incident in which his own car was blocked from exiting the previous day.

Buontempo's reaction to being asked whether he had only closed off the car park due to his own personal experience, the Parliamentary Secretary said that his decision was based on the "safety of the children frequenting the complex", adding that he could "no longer allow the haphazard parking which had been prevailing for years".

The Malta Sports Council has, today, issued a statement explaining that the problem of blocking of access had existed for a long time, and for many years, no action was taken to have a proper system of parking.

It said that the situation could easily have led to a scenario in which ambulances or other emergency vehicles were restricted from entering or existing in the case of an emergency.

"In order to resolves this issue, works are being carried out to increase the number of parking spaces in the area, and to implement a better system of management for traffic.  The works as expected to be finalised within the next two days," the Malta Sports Council said.

The Council reassured people that the parking will remain free of charge.