The parking situation at University and in Msida...

... is utterly ridiculous! Spending over an hour to find parking in the University/Msida area has become the norm rather than something that only occasionally takes place. Some time ago the idea of a new undergound/multi-storey car park had been mooted but shot down because of environmental reasons. While this point of view is understandable because of the ever-increasing number of building sites that are mushrooming around the island, neither are the innumerous ammount of cars going around University and/or Msida on a daily basis being very healthy for the residents and people who work in this area.

A plausible solution could be that of building a car park in an area in Car park 6. In this way no virgin land will taken away for this cause and it is pretty close to the hospital and can reach two aims; the first being that it won't be the only building in the area and thus will not jar with the surrounding landscape. I am also sure that with the number of quality architects that there are, a practical and pleasing design may be found. Second, it can help solve the parking quandrum both for hospital visitors, students and for the Msida residents and all those working in the area. This because less students will park in the Msida area whilst medical students can leave their cars in this car park without taking up additional space in the hospital car park.

If a minimal fee is put into place, I doubt it would irk the students, including me, for I can safely bet that more money is wasted in fuel when going round in circles in an attempt to find a parking slot. Outsiders may also use this car park but preference should be given to students, especially during peak hours when finding a parking slot is tantamount to finding the infamous golden pot at the end of a rainbow.

Other solutions do exist, aimed mostly at students and hospital visitors. The first involves the implementation of a sensible and well studied car-sharing system aimed primarily at students. Another possible answer to this problem would be a marked improvement in the public transport system.