Friends of the Earth Malta together with the Attard Residents Environmental Network, Bicycle Advocacy Group  and nine other NGOs* would like to appeal once again to the Government of Malta and the Planning Authority so that they seriously consider the objections and proposals being put forward regarding the Central Link Project.

The objections regard the following points:

1. 48000 square metres of agricultural land will be destroyed to the detriment of various farmers. This will create more space for additional car lanes, slip lanes and huge junctions, without taking into consideration the induced demand such a project will create.

2. Over 600 mature trees , some of them protected as well as unique, shall be destroyed to make way for the new road.

3. A number of cultural infrastructures in the vicinity of St.Paul’s Chapel are either being directly effected through demolition or else are in danger of being damaged both during the construction phase as well as during the utilisation phase.

4. A large number of residents (estimated to be over 1200) shall be practically isolated from the centre of the village by two major roads which will increase air pollution and car dependency.

5. Air and noise pollution generated from traffic passing through Oliver Agius Street, Ferdinand Inglott Street and Tumas Chetcuti Street will increase drastically.

6. Traffic passing through Attard especially through Triq Hal Warda, Triq iz-Zaghfran and Triq in-Nutar Zarb will not be reduced.

7. The inconvenience and increased traffic on the service and adjacent residential roads

8. The 7 junctions from Rabat to MFSA are unconnected, rendering dangerous for anyone on bicycles and pedestrians. The proposed cycle lanes start and end nowhere, and accessing them will involve attempting to cross busy main roads without any safe crossings.

9. Residents in and people coming from the Attard – Balzan – Birkirkara areas and beyond lack a basic bicycle network and will be forced to travel by car as alternative modes of transport will fail them.

10. The lack of a basic bicycle network and safe pedestrianised areas will discourage people to shift to alternative modes of transport and alleviate traffic.

AREN and BAG have submitted various proposals to the Government including alternative routes, better traffic management, safe bicycle networks and the construction of a tunnel or construction of a new road below the existing street level in order to decrease the noise pollution.

Despite reassurance that new plans will take into consideration these proposals, these crucial points were never taken up and repeatedly ignored.

Hence the NGOs would like to appeal to the authorities so that common sense will prevail in order to safeguard our urban and rural environment which is at heart to all Maltese, promote a move towards alternative modes of transport and also safeguard the Public Health of the Ħ’Attard residents which will be directly affected by this project.

*Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, Isles of the Left, Moviment Graffiti, Għaqda Siġar Maltin,, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers’ Association of Malta and Żminijietna

…

Friends of the Earth Malta flimkien mal-Attard Residents Environmental Network, il-Bicycle Advocacy Groupu disa NGOs ohrajn* , jixtiequ jitolbu għal darb’oħra lill-Gvern ta’ Malta u l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar biex jikkunsidraw bis-serjetà l-oġġezzjonijiet u l-proposti li qed jiġu sottomessi fir-rigward tas-Central Link Project.

L-oġġezzjonijiet huma dawn li ġejjin:

1. 48,000 metri kwadri ta’ art agrikola se tiġi distrutta, għad-detriment ta’ ħafna bdiewa. Dan se jikkrea aktar spazju għal korsiji ġodda tal-karozzi, slip lanes, u junctions enormi, mingħajr mhu jiġi kkunsidrat il-fatt li dan il-proġett se jwassal għal domanda akbar.

2. Aktar minn 600 siġra matura , uħud minnhom protetti u uniċi, se jkollhom jinqerdu biex iwittu t-triq għat-triq il-ġdida.

3. Numru ta’ infrastrutturi kulturali fil-viċinanzi tal-Kappella ta’ San Pawl se jkunu affettwati direttament billi se jkollhom jitwaqqgħu jew inkella se jkunu fir-riskju li ssirilhom il-ħsara kemm waqt ix-xogħlijiet kif ukoll meta tinfetaħ it-triq għall-użu.

4. Numru kbir ta’ residenti (stmat aktar minn 1,200) se jkunu prattikament iżolati miċ-ċentru tar-raħal b’żewġ toroq maġġuri li se jżidu t-tniġġis tal-arja u d-dipendenza fuq il-karozza.

5. Tniġġis tal-arja u tal-ħoss iġġenerat mit-traffiku għaddej minn Triq Oliver Agius, Triq Ferdinand Inglott u Triq Tumas Chetcuti se jiżdied drastikament.

6. It-traffiku li jgħaddi minn Ħ’Attard minn Triq Ħal Warda, Triq iż-Żagħfran u Triq in-Nutar Zarb mhux se jitnaqqas.

7. L -inkonvenjenza u ż-żieda fit-traffiku fis-service roads u t-toroq residenzjali tal-viċin.

8. Is-7 junctions mir-Rabat sal-MFSA huma skonnettati, u dan jagħmilhom perikolużi għal min ikun bir-rota jew bil-mixi . Il-korsiji tar-roti proposti jibdew mix-xejn u jispiċċaw fix-xejn, u biex wieħed jasal għalihom irid jaqsam toroq ewlenin mingħajr infrastruttura sikura biex wieħed jaqsam (Ara l-proposti ta’ BAG mehmużin).

9. Ir-residenti taż-żona ta’ Ħ’Attard, Ħal Balzan u Birkirkara u n-nies ġejjin minn minn dawn l-inħawi mhumiex se jkollhom netwerk bażiku ta’ rotot tar-roti biex jaqsmu minn naħa għall-oħra ta’ din it-triq u b’hekk ikollhom jużaw il-karozza.

10. In-nuqqas ta’ network bażika għar-roti u żoni sikuri pedonali jiskuraġġixxi n-nies milli taqleb għal mezzi ta’ trasport alternattivi biex jitnaqqas it-traffiku.

AREN u BAG issottomettew diversi proposti lill-Gvern, bħal rotot alternattivi, immaniġġjar tat-traffiku aħjar, network ta’ rotot sikuri għar-roti u l-kostruzzjoni ta’ mina jew il-kostruzzjoni ta’ triq ġdida taħt dik eżistenti biex b’hekk jitnaqqas it-tniġġis tal-ħoss.

Minkejja l-assikurazzjoni li l-pjanti l-ġodda se jieħdu inkonisderazzjoni dawn il-proposti, dawn il-punti kruċjali ġew injorati ripetutament. Għalhekk, L’imsemmija NGOs, jixtiequ jappellaw lill-awtoritajiet biex is-sens komun jirbaħ u b’hekk ikun salvagwardat l-ambjent urban u rurali li huwa għal qalb il-Maltin kollha, tiġi promossa bidla favur mezzi tat-trasport alternattivi u tiġi salvagwardata wkoll is-Saħħa Pubblika tar-residenti ta’ Ħ’Attard li se jkunu affettwati direttament b’dan il-proġett.

* Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, Isles of the Left, Moviment Għaqda Siġar Maltin, Graffiti, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers’ Association of Malta u Żminijietna