“Naxxar, like all major localities in Malta is choked with unbridled growth and with traffic. The urban environment, that is so essential to residents’ quality of life is under siege “, said AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo during a press conference in Naxxar this morning. The main problems putting pressure on people’s quality of life in urban areas are traffic congestion and unbridled growth.
The proposal made earlier this week by the Malta Developers’ Association so that they compensate so called lost development opportunities due to restrictions in Urban Conservation Areas by providing additional development rights in other areas, will impact badly localities such as Naxxar. Such a ‘compensation’, if it occurs, will undoubtedly exacerbate problems in Naxxar and other urban areas. The construction industry needs to be curbed and not given more and more leeway to continue with their destruction of Maltese localities. MDA’s proposals will compound the problems caused by the 2006 rationalization scheme, the impacts of which are being felt today.
The massive development going on in several parts of Naxxar and other localities is a direct consequence of the 2006 decision. This is leading not only to normal low-rise houses being replaced by a concrete jungle, but has led to a huge of buildings and a large increase of cars in a small areas. This increase in traffic continues to deteriorate the air quality and therefore contributes to respiratory diseases, amongst other problems.The Naxxar Church has ended up as a roundabout. Here we need a car free zone reserved for people, right at the centre of the village, and not a church-roundabout for cars. This can be done with better management and diversion of traffic. Cycling infrastructure is virtually non-existent in Naxxar. We note that the National Transport Strategy approved in 2016 put as a major goal the reduction in short car journeys. Journeys of less than fifteen minutes account for about fifty percent of the movements of cars on our roads.
AD proposes for discussion the concept that it is people and not cars who should be given priority on residential roads, the more so in the narrow streets of our village cores. This can be done several ways, including by minimising speed in residential areas to a maximum of 30km per hour as well as the development of infrastructure so as to encourage the use of bicycles .
Today AD has launched its visual campaign for the European Parliament and local council elections. We invite you to visit www.ahdar.green where you can read our policy priorities and contact our candidates. The Green candidate for Naxxar is James Gabarretta.
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Fin-Naxxar, l-ambjent urban taħt assedju – Il-proposti tal-MDA mhux aċċettabbli, l-industrija tal-bini għandha titrażżan
“In-Naxxar, bħal-lokalitajiet il-kbar kollha f’Malta hu fgat bil-bini bla rażan u bit-traffiku. L-ambjent urban li hu tant essenzjali fil-katina li tikkontribwixxi għall-kwalità ta’ ħajja aħjar għal kulħadd, qiegħed taħt assedju”. Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika waqt konferenza stampa fiċ-ċentru tan-Naxxar. It-traffiku esaġerat u l-bini bla rażan huma il-problemi ewlenin f’żoni urbani li qed joħolqu pressjoni kbira fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti.
Il-proposta li saret iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa mill-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Iżviluppaturi Maltin (MDA) biex ikunu kumpensati tal-iżvilupp mitluf minħabba restrizzjonijiet fiż-Żoni ta’ Konservazzjoni Urbani (UCA) billi jingħataw drittijiet ta’ żvilupp addizzjonali f’żoni oħra, ikollha effett negattiv f’lokalitajiet bħan-Naxxar. Dan għax kumpens bħal dan, jekk iseħħ, ikun bla dubju utilizzat f’lokalitajiet bħan-Naxxar u jkompli jżid mal-problemi taż-żoni urbani tagħna. L-industrija tal-bini għandha bżonn li titrażżan u mhux li tkun iffaċilitata tkompli żżid mal-ħerba li diġa għamlet.
Dan ikompli jżid mal-problemi kkawżati mill-iskema ta’ razzjonalizzazzjoni approvata fl-2006, li llum il-ġurnata qed jinħassu l-impatti kollha tagħha. Għax f’diversi partijiet tan- Naxxar u tal-lokalitajiet li jmissu miegħu għaddej żvilupp massiċċ li hu konsegwenza diretta ta’ dik id-deċiżjoni. Dan qed iwassal mhux biss biex djar baxxi jkunu sostitwiti b’ġungla tal-konkos imma fuq kollox biex tiżdied kemm id-densità tal-bini u żieda kbira ta’ karozzi f’żona żgħira. Din iż-żieda fit-traffiku qed tkompli tgħarraq il-kwalità tal-arja u allura tikkontribwixxi għal iktar mard respiratorju.
Fin-Naxxar fejn iċ-ċentru madwar il-Knisja spiċċa roundabout, hawn ħtieġa, iktar minn kull lokalità oħra għal zona riżervata għan-nies, fejn ma jkunx possibli li jidħlu karozzi. Dan jista’ jsir bl-immaniġjar aħjar tat-toroq u tat-traffiku. Hawn ħtieġa ukoll li titjieb l-infrastruttura għaċ-ċikliżmu li hi prattikament ineżistenti fin-Naxxar. Niftakru li l-Istrateġija Nazzjonali dwar it-Trasport approvata fl-2016 tpoġġi bħala mira ewlenija li jonqsu l-vjaġġi qosra bil-karozzi, vjaġġi ta’ inqas minn ħmistax-il minuta li jammontaw għal madwar ħamsin fil-mija tal-movimenti tal-karozzi fit-toroq tagħna.
F’dan l-ambjent li jifgak Alternattiva Demokratika tpoġġi għad-diskussjoni li fit-toroq huma n-nies li għandhom jingħataw prijorità u mhux il-karozzi u dan b’mod partikolari fit-toroq dojoq tal-ibliet u l-irħula tagħna. Dan jista’ jsir b’diversi modi fosthom bit-tnaqqsis tal-veloċita f’żoni residenzjali għal massimu ta’ 30 kilometru fis-siegħa kif ukoll bl-iżvilupp tal-infrastruttura b’tali mod li tkun inkoraġġita iktar l-użu tar-roti.
Illum varajna wkoll il-kampanja viziva tagħna għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew u tal-Kunsill Lokali. Nistiednukom iżżuru s-sit www.ahdar.green biex taqraw l-prijoritajiet tagħna u l-lista sħiħa tal-kandidati. Il-kandidat ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika għan-Naxxar ser ikun James Gabarretta.
