The squares in the centres of our towns and villages, as in any serious European country, should be mostly for the people, ADPD – The Green Party said in Mosta on Saturday.
ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that the argument brought by those who are against true progress and against giving the space taken over by cars and pollution back to the people was that the square, when closed to traffic, was not full of people. As if people are going to be out in the square in the glaring light of the high noon. As if less traffic in the centre of Mosta is not in itself already a good thing.
As if there needs to be crowds for something to be good. The pedestrianization of Pjazza Rotunda should become permanent. This is what Mosta deserves. Any person who is truly proud of the Rotunda and the cultural heritage of Mosta wants this, similar to other European cities; from the smallest historical centre in Sicily to the biggest cities, the square is open to the people and free from traffic at all times. It is a great pity that after spending a significant amount of money on the centre of Mosta, the square only becomes a real and proper square for only a few hours at the weekend. The elderly, children, families, residents and everyone who visits the Rotunda deserve much better.
The games of parochial politics between Mosta councillors should stop, she said. They are showing us that they do not have a vision, they do not look forward. Those who are against pedestrianisation want a polluted Mosta. It is not true that they have a healthy urban environment at heart. Despite their rhetoric their anti-pedestrian stance shows that it is not true that they are proud of the Rotunda, the monument in the heart of Mosta. They actually want the Rotunda to remain a roundabout surrounded by cars, instead of a monument in the centre of a proper square free of traffic.
We want the Mosta square, Pjazza Rotunda, to truly become a square for people and not just at the weekend, she said. A square through which traffic passes is not a square at all but just a road like any other road. It is time for Mosta and the country to make the leap to the 21st century and give the centres of the towns and villages back to the people, as is now the norm in cities, towns and villages, small and large in Europe.
The government’s position should be clear. The conditions for funding for the Rotunda area should have been clear: the area should be given back to the community. The government must be clear about what it wants for the whole country as regards urban planning policy, sustainable mobility and pedestrianisation. If the government is convinced that pedestrianisation is good for people’s health, for our communities, for our quality of life, it should have the courage to take the necessary decisions – including proper funding – for pedestrianisation projects to throughout the country, concluded Gauci.