Valletta, closing the gate

Traffic into the City has been re-routed away from Pope Pius V Street to St Paul’s Street and St Mark’s Street.

Traffic signs have been set up as far as Pieta to remind drivers that access to the City from Pope Pius V Street is no longer available, directing them to access routes from St Paul’s Street or Marsamxett Road.

Though rush hour traffic in the morning starts outside Portes des Bombes this is no different to the traffic situation before Pope Pius V was closed, on the contrary, traffic seemed to moved faster, with a wait of only three minutes from Portes des Bombes to the War Memorial roundabout.

Upgrades at Mall Junction (outside the Phoenicia Hotel) see traffic coming from Sa Maison Hill unable to make a right turn to head towards Castille as traffic is being directed onto Great Siege Road, with access to the City from St Mark’s Street.

Traffic lights have been set up to ease congestion in this area, though queues remain during rush hours between 8:15am and 9:15am in the morning and between 5pm and 6pm in the afternoon.

Pope Pius V has been closed off by barriers and police officers and Transport Malta officials were onsite to direct drivers not aware of the changes to the traffic flow system that were put in place as of Sunday 1 May.

Traffic has been re-routed so that access can be gained from St Paul’s Street, with traffic flow direction being changed along Archbishop Street. 21 different scenarios were tested before the current traffic flow management system was adopted.

Residents of the Hastings area have expressed their concern over new access routes as they have been heavily inconvenienced. Access to Hastings is from St Mark’s Street, then zigzagging across the city through St John’s Street, along Strait Street and back down Melita Street.

In a protest led by lawyer Manuel Mallia on Friday they voiced concerns about access to emergency medical services as the roads concerned are all narrow and do not permit speedy access to the area, which may cost the elderly population their lives.

Difficulty reaching the area was made evident by the empty car parks and an abnormal amount of empty parking places around the area.

Shoppers complained of the time it took to get into the City saying, “with the difficulty in access to Valletta as well as the parking problems, it just isn’t worth coming into Valletta. There are other shopping areas that are more accessible.”

While City Gate is being demolished pedestrian traffic has been directed away from City Gate for health and safety purposes. Pedestrians have been redirected through Vjal Nelson and St James Ditch, along the property of the annex to the Central Bank.

Barriers line the pedestrian walkways, protecting pedestrians from oncoming traffic, however if pedestrians stray from the designated walkways then protection from oncoming vehicles is minimal, as pavements along roads such as Triq Girolamo Cassar have been removed.

Pedestrians using the new route complained of the increased time it took to get into the City but said it was “a necessary inconvenience that will eventually result in an improved capital city.”

Paul Fenech, President of Republic Street’s Business Community said the flow of people coming into Valletta will slow due to the demolition of City Gate, even though alternative passages have been set up. He is expecting a drop in business however he says that the long-term effects of the change are impossible to predict.

“I hope that eventually people will get used to the alternative routes that have to be taken, however over the weeks of demolition I am sure that people will avoid coming into the City.

“It is difficult to assess the long term effects this will have on businesses in Valletta.

“So far the works on City Gate have been managed professionally and the impact on business has been limited, however there are several issues that are affecting business. Parking has always been of major concern as patrons avoid coming to Valletta altogether and are doing their shopping elsewhere.