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9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday. The newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EDITOR: PAUL COCKS BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 22.2.2024 P aola's main square was reorganised and paved with cobble stones in 2018 as part of a regeneration pro- ject that wanted to prioritise pedestrians. Although the square was not ful- ly pedestrianised, the cobble stones that extended onto the roads passing through it were intended to slow down traffic, creating a shared space for cars and people. The work done on the roads passing through the square was not intended to accommodate heavy vehicles. Un- fortunately, shortly after the project was completed, works on the Marsa junction project meant that traffic was re-routed through Paola causing dam- age to the new road paving. Substan- tial parts of the cobbled road started to give way, giving rise to frustration, anger and ridicule. Now, almost six years later, on the direction of the new transport minis- ter, Infrastructure Malta scraped off the cobbled road and relayed tarmac. The solution to the potholed road was a return to the ordinary tarmac. In the project architect's own words, the laying of tarmac "killed the dream" of having a square that prioritised pedes- trians. It beggars belief that just as the square was completed heavy traffic was rerouted through it because of the Marsa junction project. Good plan- ning would have postponed the Paola square project in its entirety or at the least, the part concerning the roads, to after the Marsa junction project was completed. If the material used was not suitable to carry heavy loads – this is how it was planned – the regeneration works should have been complemented by banning heavy vehicles from passing through the square thus reducing the intensity of throughput traffic and enforcing a slower speed limit. None of this happened and as a re- sult public funds were squandered. It appears that to avoid an even bigger expense the quickest and cheapest solution was sought. From a practical point of view tarmac has now solved the long-standing problem to the sat- isfaction of motorists but has under- mined the pedestrian-first rationale that underpinned the square's rede- sign. People cannot be faulted for be- ing relieved that the problematic road has been fixed. After six long years, any solution would do for them to have a good road surface. Unfortunately, the solution de- stroyed the idea of having a beautiful space that distinguishes the square as a unique meeting point for residents. But the Paola square saga is sympto- matic of a much wider malaise in the public sector: lack of planning and coordination between different entities. For starters, Paola square was done up by an agency that exists no more, leaving it parentless. Unfortunately, the square became a victim of govern- ment fragmentation where infrastruc- tural, road and green projects are in- volved. Secondly, the lack of coordination is now visible in other roads which are being dug up by Enemalta to lay down new electricity distribution infrastruc- ture. It was obvious last summer dur- ing the 10-day heatwave when cables went haywire that the country had not invested enough in the power distribu- tion network. Enemalta has since then gone on a justified spree to upgrade large tracts of the distribution network in several localities. The problem now is that many roads, some of which were only recently done, are patched up with serious doubts as to their longevity. Once again, better coordination could have avoided situations such as those in Naxxar where residential roadworks that have been going on forever have to be redone because En- emalta decided to relay part of its dis- tribution network. More importantly, in those roads where trenches have sprouted up, we expect the road surface to be redone professionally to ensure it is up to standard. How lack of planning and coordination killed a dream n August 2023, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade decreased by 1.2% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU, compared with July 2023, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In July 2023, the retail trade volume decreased by 0.1% both in the euro area and in the EU. In August 2023 compared with August 2022, the calendar adjusted retail sales index decreased by 2.1% in the euro area and by 2.0% in the EU. In the euro area in August 2023, compared with July 2023, the volume of retail trade decreased by 3.0% for automotive fuels, by 1.2% for food, drinks and tobacco and by 0.9% for non-food products. In the EU, the volume of retail trade decreased by 2.4% for automotive fuels, by 0.9% for food, drinks and tobacco and by 0.6% for non-food products. Retail Price Volume DID U KNOW?

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