A pilot project to establish vehicle-free zones in the capital Malé will be introduced on February 15, authorities have revealed.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and the Transport Authority of Maldives, housing minister Dr Mohamed Muizzu said the scheme will see the closure of Heena Goalhi and Raiyvilla Magu in Henveiru ward to vehicles, including bicycles.
“We will also establish special parking zones for people from houses on these roads, special permits will be given to them to park in these parking zones”, Muizzu explained.
President Abdulla Yameen has previously pledged to ban traffic in narrow lanes in Malé in order to ease congestion in the densely crowded city of 130,000 people, allowing space for children to play.
Transport Authority chairman Abdul Rasheed Nafiz said that the measures would need to go hand-in-hand with a reduction in the number of vehicles in order to find long-term solutions to traffic congestion.
Although the government has not finalised the measures, Nafiz said that current proposals included the halting of vehicle registration renewal for vehicles older than 15 or 20 years, with new vehicle registration open only allowed as older vehicles are taken out of use.
“The new slots will go to the highest bidder. We think this is the most fair manner in which we can do this,” Nafiz said.
Muizz today noted that a ministry survey had shown that some areas involved in the pedestrianisation scheme have storage facilities and garages, but that those businesses will be required to load and unload goods by parking outside the pedestrianised areas.
People who park their two wheeled vehicles inside their homes will be allowed to walk their vehicles to the houses inside the no-vehicle areas.
“Physical obstructions will be put in place and traffic police will be monitoring the area to ensure vehicles do not enter. We will ensure there is enough space for wheelchairs and such,” said Muizzu.
According to the ministry, the pilot project will continue with the closure of more roads in all wards along with Henveiru – including Galolhu, Machchangoalhi and Maafannu – until June 8.
Nafiz explained that the stickers assigned to vehicle owners of the residences in the pedestrianized zones will be given free of charge and must be displayed.
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It's about time, well done! Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
I will donate a year's salary to charity if this is a success. People don't follow the current law of the road as recently I noticed that a street was closed off for construction and it still didn't stop mopeds whizzing down between the lorry being unloaded with high intense steel girders. One failure on the chains and it would have been a disaster, even with a helmet.
Nor did the motorists obey the road closures outside of the school to prevent children being run over by lunatic riders who care nothing for the young pedestrian. But then the police were on hand to make a few extra cash to look the other way when the offenders shook hands covertly with the officers.
We will have to give some sacrifice. I am in Colombo. Since Galle road is a one way, to find a bus to go to the other direction we will have to go to the RA De Mel Wawatha or Duplication road. Is about a a 7 minute walk in between. This is like a distance many Maldivians in Male' will be unhappy if they have to walk. One day I saw man who live almost beside a mosque go on a motorbike, go around the block and came back to the entrence of the mosque. If he he had walked from his home to the mosque it would have taken less than 30 seconds. As it was a one way he took the motorbike all the way around the block and came back almost the to the same area literally taking about 2 minute (as it was a large block). What this guy did is the typical nature of many Maldivians. i am someone who married a foreigner because whenever I found interest with a Maldivian woman and had a friendly talk they would ask me, if i have a motrobike. As someone who walk, i found humiliated by this common question so many Maldivian women used to ask me, including a girl i thought was a childhood sweetheart for me. in the end i decided to marry a foreigner. i decided to keep walking because i know when i was small, my mother's old aunt used to take me to school in rain, in hot sun, in muddy water or chaka. She didnt have a motorbike to be brave. But today Maldivian people's psychology is difficult to be understood.