Malta is small and one would think that it's easy to walk from one place to another but if there's one thing the Maltese are attached to, it's their car, There are almost 212,000 private cars on the local roads, more than half the amount of residents living on the island, Within this context, it comes as no surprise that the launch of a Park and Ride scheme to the capital city and the introduction of a brand new payment scheme for parking in Valletta were received with more than a little scepticism, even though the new scheme would allow people to do away with the headache of finding parking in Valletta, Depositing the car in the city now comes with a price tag of up to Eur6.52 a day.
But in this case the Maltese have shown that they are amenable to change. Although they initially failed to warm to the idea of leaving their car in the Blata l-Bajda car park and ~ take the five-minute shuttle service Valletta, right from the launch of the scheme, parking spaces were being snatched early in the day.
The service, which is fully free of charge, has been a victim of its own success and many have complained that finding a free parking spot later in the day is next to impossible.
If you are travelling to Valletta early in the morning, the well-signposted Park and Ride scheme offers a hassle-free means to reach the city. But if you plan to arrive any time after 10am, you'd do well to travel by bus as the Blata l-Bajda car park and the private one by the bus terminus are jam-packed by this time.
Considering the success of the new scheme, the authorities are ponderini creating one for the country's entertainment mecca, Paceville.