Bankers' union urges Sliema local council to reconsider parking scheme

The Malta Union of Bank Employees (MUBE) has appealed to the Sliema local council to reconsider its decisions over the revised parking schemes.

The union complained that no effective consultation process with stakeholders was carried out as was done in other localities.

“It is only logical that a local council should listen and consult prior to taking such unwarranted actions as parking in Malta is becoming a serious challenge,” MUBE said in a statement.

“Apart from considerations on the impact on the local community, MUBE proposes that a more balanced approach is taken when considering parking schemes as it also directly impacts those who work in the area,” it added.

MUBE said it was willing to contribute to ensure better solutions are found for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The scheme was first given the green light in 2009 when the government granted Legal Notice LN200/2009 which allowed the Sliema local council to introduce a residential parking scheme.

The scheme will entail reserving 50% of all parking within Sliema for residents. These same parking spots will also be available to the public for up to two hours.

The other 50% will be available to the public at all times, unreservedly.

Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop had explained that different zones in Sliema have different parking needs, for example one particular area is heavily populated by schools so parking issues emerge at certain times of the day.

It was said that the scheme would be improved as time went by in order to make it more and more effective.

However, the scheme has also garnered criticism from the likes of the General Workers’ Union, which claimed that the introduction of a timed parking scheme would place a heavy burden on workers and businesses in the locality and the Malta Union of Teachers which complained that it was unacceptable for teachers to abandon their students midway through class to move their cars.