Six villages named as the first to go car-free
Six Maltese villages have been identified as the first to go car-free as part of a pandemic-inspired plan to temporarily pedestrianise squares and roads across the country. The project is expected to begin with Żejtun, Dingli, Qrendi, Żurrieq, Mqabba and Safi, according to Local Councils Association president Mario Fava, although he did not reveal a timeline. The initiative is planned to be much wider – urban development studies on pedestrianised zones have been completed on 43 local council areas. The concept was first announced in May last year and was inspired by the sight of empty villages and squares during the first months of the COVID-19 outbreak. Residents will now be consulted and the needs of each area will be detailed. Fava said the project is expected to start in the six localities because they have been “less complicated to conclude”. “When we launched the idea last June, I myself did not know it would involve so much work and time to implement,” Fava admitted, adding that, in some cases, junctions would need to be closed off and traffic reduced. To be able to have pedestrianised zones, the first step is to reduce the speed limit on roads leading to these areas, he...