Slow Progress is Better Than No Progress
Located in Malta’s central, Attard forms part of the ‘three villages’ along with Lija and Balzan. Attard has a population of around 11,000 people and is mostly famous for the San Anton Palace as the main residence of the president of Malta which is surrounded with a massive garden which contains trees, monuments, fountains, pathways and even animals amongst others things.
Attard’s motto is “florigera rosis halo” which translates to “I perfume the air with my blossoms”. Although this motto is true for the San Anton Palace area, it does not remain that much valid for the rest of the of village particularly the road leading to the farmer’s market in Ta’ Qali, which becomes a mayhem of cars on the days when the market is open.
The idea is to create a shuttle service with frequent intervals to and from the Attard’s village square to the market and completely restrict the access for cars in the farmer’s market area and the adjacent roads. The village square is at walking distance from all the village hence, residents do not need a car to travel thus reducing the air pollution caused by cars on the farmer’s market days.
Some benefits of this service would be that residents would not need a car to go to the farmer’s market hence, reducing air pollution while still supporting local farmers and Maltese food producers. This service may also increase social interaction amongst Attard residents and may have a positive impact on the whole community in general.