Maltese villages may get multi-storey car parks to ‘help sustainability’

Sep 12 2021

Various villages across Malta may have multi-storey park-and-ride car parks within reach as the Local Councils’ Association (LCA) is researching a number of sustainable projects aimed at improving the quality of life of Maltese residents.

LCA President Mario Fava told The Malta Independent of a number of projects which form part of the association’s ‘Resident First’ vision spanning from 2020 to 2024, aimed at proactively approaching local planning while maintaining sustainability and improving quality of life. Fava highlighted his belief that there must be a change in the local plans introduced by the Nationalist Party in 2006.

Due to Malta’s dense population, Fava encouraged a shift away from car ownership and also highlighted the possibility of making use of already-existing car parks rather than developing new ones to leave space for pavements and electric vehicle charing stations.

What do you think of these proposals? Would a multi-storey car park benefit your village?

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“Be responsible and safe”: LESA appeals for increased caution with electric scooters & other micro-mobility vehicles

Sep 12 2021

The Local Enforcement System Agency (LESA) has issued an appeal for increased caution when utilising micro-mobility vehicles such as electric scooters. The regulatory agency published a post on social media stating that while convenient, it is of utmost importance that the vehicles be used with utmost responsibility and safety in order to avoid roadside risks.

They went on to post a link to Transport Malta’s preliminary abridged guidelines surrounding micro-mobility in the Maltese transport system.

Use of such vehicles has surged in popularity over the past few years, with electric scooters offering the user the possibility to get from one point to another quickly and conveniently. However, it has generated significant controversy amongst the local driving community to the lack of adherence of guidelines from many scooter users.

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Appeal for government to donate unused voucher money to charities

Sep 12 2021

After the government extended the deadline for the government vouchers to the end of October, calls have been made to donate the unused voucher money to various charities and non-governmental organisations across the country.

The vouchers were originally planned to expire on September 15 but had the deadline extended after only 74% of all government vouchers were utilised.

Through this extension, the government anticipates a rise in voucher usage but donating a fraction of the €45 million scheme would definitely be helpful to the abundant number of charities across Malta and Gozo.

During a bulletin addressed by Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Businesses Silvio Schembri, it was revealed that 330,184 individuals received their vouchers by posted while 117,485 made use of the government application, with 29,425 people not having picked them up at the time of speaking.

Did you use YOUR vouchers yet? Do you agree with this proposition?

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Drivers frustrated at long traffic jams as works on tunnels persist

Sep 12 2021

Long traffic jams due to the continued work on Malta’s four main tunnels have cause increasing frustration amongst commuters in Malta. Works on the four main road tunnels have been under way for over a year, with Times of Malta previously reported that they had to be finished by June but remain under construction to this day, causing blockages in the heavily-frequented areas.

Infrastructure Malta had already taken legal action against the contractor after a steel plate issue reduced the tunnel to a single lane, causing heavy traffic as far as Tal-Barrani road.

Works on the tunnels have included the installation of new lighting systems, some of which including 400 high-powered LED lights which vary in brightness depending on the time of day, aimed at increasing road safety as part of the €10 million road rehabilitation project covering the Santa Venera, Kirkop, Tal-Qroqq and Ta’ Ġiorni tunnels.

Have you experienced traffic in these areas?

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