Il-parkeġġ fl-Isptar Mater Dei

Matul il-kampanja elettorali għall-elezzjoni ta’ mexxej tal-Partit Laburista, wieħed mill-kandidati, il-Ministru għas-Saħħa Chris Fearne,  ħabbar li dalwaqt ser jitneħħa kull ħlas għall-parkeġġ tal-isptar Mater Dei.

Mal-ewwel d-daqqa t’għajn din tidher proposta tajba u raġjonevoli. Imma meta tibda taħseb ftit fuq l-implikazzjonijiet tagħha malajr tirrealizza li l-għan aħħari ta’ din il-proposta mhux faċli li jintlaħaq. Il-problema tan-nuqqas ta’ spazju għall-parkeġġ hi ferm iktar ikkumplikata u mhux ser tissolva billi jinqata’ l-ħlas.

Dawk li jużaw il-parkeġġ fl-Isptar Mater Dei huma pazjenti li jżuru l-isptar għall-visti (out-patients), persuni li jkunu qed iżuru lill-morda f’kull ħin tal-jum, impjegati tal-isptar u ħaddiema ingaġġati fuq xogħol kuntrattwali fil-konfini tal-isptar. Ilkoll kemm huma ta’ kuljum jiffaċċjaw in-nuqqas ta’ parkeġġ, ħlief dawk li għandhom spazju riżervat għalihom tul il-ġimgħa kollha, irrispettivament minn kemm jużawh.

Dawk il-pazjenti li jżuru l-isptar Mater Dei għal vista mal-ispeċjalisti diversi huma ġeneralment fost l-iktar persuni vulnerabbli, l-iżjed minħabba l-istat ta’ saħħithom. Għaldaqstant jagħmel ħafna sens  li jkun iffaċilitat għas-servizzi tal-isptar. Iżda għalihom it-tneħħija tal-ħlas għal parkeġġ mhi ser issolvi xejn. Anzi, aktarx l-affarijiet imorru għall-agħar.

Il-problema tal-parkeġġ fl-Isptar Mater Dei ġejja minn żewġ fatturi separati u distinti minn xulxin għalkollox. L-ewwel nett hi r-riżultat tal-użu mhux daqstant effiċjenti tal-ispazju tal-parkeġġ fil-konfini tal-isptar. Il-problema, qed tiġi kkaġunata wkoll mill-fatt li fit-toroq għandna għadd esaġerat ta’ karozzi, ħafna iktar milli jifilħu t-toroq tagħna. Dan, kif jirrimarka l-Pjan Nazzjonali għat-Trasport, jaħti għalih il-fatt li fil-qasam tat-transport ma ppjanajna qatt fit-tul.

Kieku l-ispazju tal-parkeġġ fil-konfini tal-isptar Mater Dei kellu jintuża b’mod iktar effiċjenti, bla dubju l-problema kontinwa ta’ nuqqas ta’ spazju tittaffa, avolja aktarx xorta ma tissolviex għalkollox.

Mhux biex nikkunslaw, imma tajjeb niftakru li l-problema tan-nuqqas ta’ spazju għall-parkeġġ mhix limitata biss għall-isptar Mater Dei, iżda hija mifruxa mal-gżejjer Maltin kollha.

Din hi riżultat tad-dipendenza esaġerata mill-karozzi li qed ikomplu jiżdiedu jum wara l-ieħor u li allura jikkompetu għal spazji dejjem iżjed limitati.

Dwar in-numru mhux żgħir ta’ pazjenti li jżuru Mater Dei għal xi vista huwa ovvju li wieħed ma nistgħux nistennew li dawn jużaw transport alternattiv. Dan minkejja li għadd minnhom diġa jinqdew bit-transport pubbliku b’mod regolari. Bosta minnhom ikunu jeħtieġu l-għajnuna biex ikollhom aċċess adegwat. Din l-għajnuna jsibuha mingħand il-qraba u l-ħbieb bl-użu ta’ karozzi privati.

L-awtoritajiet tal-Isptar Mater Dei għandhom ifasslu pjan li jindirizza l-ħtiġijiet tat-trasport ta’ dawk kollha dipendenti mill-isptar (pjan li jissejjaħ Green Transport Plan) biex ikun identifikat l-aħjar mod kif jistgħu jintużaw il-faċilitajiet tal-parkeġġ tal-isptar. Dan għandu jindirizza mhux biss il-ħtiġijiet tal-pazjenti fis-sodod tal-isptar u tal-impjegati imma ukoll ta’ dawk kollha li jżur l-isptar f’kull ħin tal-ġurnata.

Dan il-pjan mhux biss jista’ jidentifika soluzzjonijiet prattiċi għat-titjib fl-infrastruttura tal-isptar iżda wkoll jindika l-aħjar mod kif din tista’ tintuża. F’dan ix-xenarju mbagħad it-tneħħija tal-ħlas għall-parkeġġ tkun dettall pjuttost insinifikanti.

 

Ippubblikat fuq Illum : Il-Ħadd 5 ta’ Jannar 2020

Parking at Mater Dei Hospital

Within the context of the electoral campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party, Minister for Health Chris Fearne announced that, shortly, parking at the Mater Dei Hospital grounds will be free of charge.

At face value this is a reasonable proposal. However, when one tries to understand the implications of such a proposal it is obvious that this is easier said than done. The problem of lack of parking space is much more complex and it will not be unravelled by abolishing parking charges.

Users of Mater Dei Hospital parking are out-patients, those visiting bed-ridden patients, hospital staff and contractual workers carrying out duties within hospital grounds. All of them face a daily acute shortage of parking space, except, possibly, a small section of staff who have access to reserved parking on a 24/7 basis irrespective of the time they actually make use of it.

Mater Dei Hospital out-patients are among the most vulnerable of the Maltese population. So, it stands to reason that any measure aiming at facilitating their reasonable access to the services at Mater Dei Hospital would be most welcome. However, the availability of free-parking will not solve their parking problems. Rather, it will possibly make matters even worse than it is at present.

The parking problem at Mater Dei Hospital is the result of two separate and distinct factors. Firstly, it is the result of what is possibly an inefficient use of the available parking space within Mater Dei Hospital grounds. Secondly it is in itself a reflection of the large number of cars on our roads, which, as everyone knows, are bursting at the seams. This, as our Transport master plan points out is the result of an absence of long-term transport planning in the Maltese islands.

A more efficient use of the available parking space within the grounds of Mater Dei Hospital would undoubtedly contribute to reducing the parking problems faced by all users of the hospital, but it will most probably not solve it. At the end of the day the lack of parking space is a problem common to all sectors of Maltese society: it is an issue of over-dependence on the use of private cars with an ever-increasing number of cars competing for limited parking space.

It stands to reason that one cannot expect a number of out-patients to use alternative transport. Some already make use of public transport on a regular basis. Most would however need some form of help with their transport requirements which help is generally forthcoming from family and friends through the use of private cars.

The Hospital authorities need to draw up a Green Transport Plan covering the needs of the hospital’s stakeholders and the optimal use of the hospital facilities for this purpose. Green Transport Planning would analyse the requirements not just of the hospital’s patients and its staff: it would also project the requirements of those visiting patients.

At the end of the day the Green Transport Plan for Mater Dei Hospital would propose practical solutions in improving the hospital’s infrastructure as well as in optimising the use of its facilities. In this respect payment or non-payment for parking would be just a minor detail.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 5 January 2020

ODZ lessons : from Żonqor to Għargħur

 

A planning application (PA3592/16)  to construct a home for the elderly in the area between Naxxar and Għargħur was due to be discussed by the Planning Authority Board on Thursday. Less than five hours before it was due to begin, however, the public hearing was postponed. There may be valid reasons for the postponement but, so far, such reasons – if they exist – are still unknown.

For the past few months, Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party in Malta, has been supporting the residents who are opposed to the development of this privately-owned  home in their neighbourhood since the planning application was first published.

There are various reasons which justify opposition to this proposed development. When faced with such a proposal, the first reactions understandably relate to the direct impact that it will have on the residential community – during both the construction phase and  the operational phase of the proposed facility. During the construction phase, this impact would include excavation noise and vibration, the nuisance caused by airborne dust during construction and the general inconvenience resulting from a large construction site very close to a residential community.

Once the home is in use, the traffic generated at all times of the day – as well as the occupying of residents’ parking spaces by visitors – will be one of the most pressing concerns to justify opposition to the proposal.

These are sensible reasons which justify opposition to the proposed development, even though some mitigation of these impacts is generally possible.

In my opinion, however, before even considering the proposal, it has to be emphasised that the construction of a home for the elderly outside the development zone (ODZ) between Naxxar and Għargħur is a good reason for objection in principle.

On the grounds of social policy, to continue encouraging the institutional care of the aged by way of residential homes does not hold water. It makes much more sense to help the older members of our society to remain in their homes as an integral part of the community, close to their roots, as long as this is possible. This should be the preferred option, rather than forcing them to abandon their roots and move away to the outskirts of our towns and villages.

The Social Policy Ministry harps on about the integration of the elderly in the community while the authority responsible for land use planning is facilitating their segregation. Obviously, somewhere there is a lack of understanding and coordination.

Locating homes for the elderly on the edges of our towns and villages is, in the long term, unsustainable. In addition to fostering segregation, instead of encouraging inclusion, it creates an environmental deficit by encouraging the displacement of a number of the residents of our town and village centres to what is now considered as ODZ land. As a result, this leads to an increase in the number of vacant residential properties while simultaneously adding to the built footprint of the Maltese islands – as if we do not have more than enough developed land!

The 2011 Census identified Għargħur as having a 28.5 per cent residential property vacancy rate. The rate for Naxxar was 24.5. These official statistics, which include both vacant properties and partially vacant properties, will undoubtedly get much worse.

This leads to another argument against the proposal to provide a home for the elderly in this particular area.  How can we justify taking up ODZ land for further development when even the site selection exercise, carried out as part of the application process, identified alternative sites within the development zone?

It seems that not enough lessons have been learnt as a result of the Żonqor debacle.  Is it not about time that the Planning Authority puts its house in order?

Policy coordination between the Ministries concerned with social policy, sustainable development, the environment and land use planning is obviously the missing link and should be addressed immediately.

published in the Malta Independent on Sunday – 25 June 2017

Simon iwiegħed kollox lil kulħadd?

 

F’dawn il-ġranet, il-Kap tal-Opposizzjoni qal li  jaqbel li l-għaqdiet sportivi għandhom ikunu mgħejjuna biex jimmassimizzaw il-potenzjal kummerċjali tal-faċilitajiet sportivi li jmexxu.

Proposta li tinstema tajba sakemm tiftakar li dan jista’ jkun il-kawża ta’ ħafna problemi.

Madwar sena ilu l-Gvern kien ħareg dokument intitolat The Commercialisation of Sports Facilities għal konsultazzjoni pubblika propju dwar dan is-suġġett.

Alternattiva Demokratika tirrikonoxxi l-intenzjonijiet tajba wara dawn il-proposti.

Imma biex jintlaħaq dan l-iskop, hemm iċ–ċans, mhux żgħir, li nispiċċaw b’xi grounds tal-futbol barra mill-irħula tagħna mibnijin bi ħwienet u uffiċini u bil-ground tal-futbol fuq il-bejt, bħalma diġa hemm f’Tignè! U jekk inti toqgħod fit-tarf tar-raħal hemm ċans tajjeb li tkun tista’ issegwi partita futbol minn fuq il-bejt. Jekk tkun iffurtunat tkun tista’ issegwiha ukoll mill-kamra tas-sodda! Anke l-floodlights jispiċċaw idawlulek il-kmamar tad-dar. Tispiċċa tiffranka l-konsum tal-elettriku! Dan apparti l-problemi ta’ parking u l-istorbju, sajf u xitwa. Dan eżempju wieħed. Hemm bosta oħra.

Fi stqarrija li ħriġna Alternattiva Demokratika sena ilu għidna li dak propost, jekk implimentat, jista’ jkun il-kawża ta’ ħafna ħsara ambjentali kif ukoll ikollu effett neġattiv fuq iż–żoni residenzjali tagħna.

Daqqa ta’ ħarta oħra għall-ambjent.

Ovvjament Simon Busuttil donnu nesa li l-ħarsien tal-ambjent m’għandux ikun ristrett għad-dokumenti imma għandu jkun rifless ukoll f’kull inizjattiva li nieħdu. Tajjeb li Simon Busuttil jiftakar sewwa kull hin li dak li wiegħed fid-dokument ambjentali A Better Quality of Life for You. Għax bih rabat idejh u bħala riżultat kellu jaħseb ftit iktar dwar il-konsegwenzi tal-proposti tiegħu għall-kummercjalizzazzjoni tal-facilitajiet sportivi. Alternattiva Demokratika ser tibqa’ tfakkru.

Daqqa ta’ ħarta oħra għall-ambjent

Id-dokument ta’ konsultazzjoni dwar il-kummerċjalizzazzjoni tal-faċilitajiet sportivi li dwaru l-konsultazzjoni pubblika ġiet fi tmiemha llum hi daqqa ta’ ħarta oħra lill-ambjent ta’ pajjiżna.

L-iskop tal-Gvern hu biex ikunu mgħejjuna assoċjazzjonijiet u klubbs sportivi ħalli dawn jimmasimizzaw il-potenzjal tal-faċilitajiet tagħhom u b’hekk ikunu jistgħu jiffinanzjaw lilhom infushom.

L-iskop hu wieħed tajjeb.

Imma biex jintlaħaq dan l-iskop, hemm iċ-ċans, mhux żgħir, li nispiċċaw b’xi grounds tal-futbol barra mill-irħula tagħna mibnijin bi ħwienet u uffiċini u bil-ground tal-futbol fuq il-bejt, bħalma diġa hemm f’Tignè! U jekk inti toqgħod fit-tarf tar-raħal hemm ċans tajjeb li tkun tista’ issegwi partita futbol minn fuq il-bejt. Jekk tkun iffurtunat tkun tista’ issegwiha ukoll mill-kamra tas-sodda! Anke l-floodlights jispiċċaw idawlulek il-kmamar tad-dar. Tispiċċa tiffranka l-konsum tal-elettriku! Dan apparti l-problemi ta’ parking u l-istorbju, sajf u xitwa. Dan eżempju wieħed. Hemm bosta oħra.

Fi stqarrija li ħriġna Alternattiva Demokratika għidna li dak propost f’dan id-dokument ta’ konsultazzjoni, jekk implimentat, jista’ jkun il-kawża ta’ ħafna ħsara ambjentali kif ukoll ikollu effett neġattiv fuq iż-żoni residenzjali tagħna. Daqqa ta’ ħarta oħra għall-ambjent.