Sliema shop-owners up in arms over new parking scheme
David Darmanin
Sliema shopkeepers expressed concern over the town’s new parking restrictions for non-residents, which will delineate 50% of all parking spaces available exclusively to its residents.
It’s a godsend to Sliema’s residents, who face a daily chore to find parking close to their homes. But as soon as the transport authority (AD) green-lights the parking scheme, the local council will limit parking to non-residents to 120 minutes between 8am and 9pm.
“This is absolutely senseless,” Ian Galea, the co-owner of Tony’s Bar on the Sliema ferries, said. “It will not make a difference to me personally because I live in Sliema, but what about my brother who runs the place with me? He lives in Birkirkara. What is he expected to do? Come to work by bicycle?”
His brother-in-law, Adrian Mangion, stepped out of the kitchen: “Some say this new scheme will be good for clients, but I think we’ll have to wait and see. It really doesn’t make sense for staff and relatives of Sliema residents. What about all those who come to visit the elderly to help them out with chores? What if they aren’t from Sliema?”
Nick Johnson owns the stationery The Trading Post on George Borg Olivier street, which is right off Fond Ghadir on the Sliema promenade. “Personally speaking, I can’t complain because I live up the road and it’s always a nightmare to park round here, but what about the staff? What about clients? It’s already hard enough to park in the streets as they are, let alone if parking spaces are decreased.”
Johnson said he asked for parking bays that would be reserved for clients, “but that didn’t go down very well with the Sliema council… Mind you, with my kind of business 120 minutes is ample time for my clients,” he said. “The biggest problem shop owners will face is at the Ferries.”
Down the road, at the Gelateria Lungomare, owner Nevin Grech is not too happy about the prospect either. “This won’t be good for business. If people who come here stop for a few minutes to get an ice-cream and upon returning to their cars they find that they’ve been fined, they won’t come back here. We’re already suffocated with traffic in this area. This is just what we don’t need.”
Down at the Ferries, the Diesel fashion outlet has just been rewarded with the St Anne Square revamp thanks to the dismantling of the Magic Kiosk. But managing director Angele Cassar says the new parking scheme will affect her business in more ways than one. Referring to the Sliema Local Plan, which proposes the pedestrianisation of Bisazza Street, Cassar said: “I heard the entire plan is to divert traffic towards Tigné, where a new shopping complex is planned. This would take away clients from this area. Also, a time limit of 120 minutes is definitely not enough for people who, like myself, take their time when they’re out shopping. They should also plan for staff parking.”
Simone Debono, assistant manager at opticians Optika said: “It’s not good for us at all. We already have a problem with parking as we are, let alone if they reduce availability of parking spaces. It very often takes us as long as 20 minutes to find parking before we get to work – and we come here twice a day because of a long break in the afternoon. Clients always complain about parking too. There are parts of this area where parking is already restricted to a time limit of 60 minutes. If they extend that to 120, it will be better, but then they plan on reducing other parking spaces. The proposal can’t be good for staff unless they come up with suitable arrangements.”
Informal meetings have been held between a committee representing Sliema business owners and resources minister George Pullicino over shop owners’ concerns that the re-routing of traffic through the Qui-Si-Sana area into the Tigné Point project will bring with it the removal of the small seafront car parks. They are concerned this will further take patrons away from the traditional shopping centre, and into Tigné Point.
“As businesses, we have paid thousands of euros in contribution to the parking scheme to MEPA – and where is the car park?” one business owner, who wished to stay anonymous, said.
“It is fair enough to see to the needs of the primary stakeholders first, and these are the residents. But to downgrade one area to refurbish another is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Don’t we contribute to this country’s GDP and employ people? Mega-millions are invested in Sliema. Do they want it to end up like Manwel Dimech street?” he said, referring to the demise of one of the town’s busiest of high streets.
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