A surge in the clamping of illegally-parked cars at Mater Dei Hospital has caused a wave of complaints and raised questions about the manner how a new operator at the hospital car park and its environs operates.
The previous operator, who had run the parking area for 10 years, had over time largely turned a blind eye to users who were forced to drive round the car park in vain to find an empty slot.
This resulted in cars parked on the side of the car park ramp and across pavements, particularly in the morning when the Outpatients’ Department was at its busiest.
Although those illegally-parked did not argue against the principle of enforcement when they contacted Times of Malta, they did feel that the operator’s approach could have been less aggressive.
“I think the least they could have done was organise an educational campaign first,” one irate driver told the Times of Malta, while another felt that the priority should have been to solve the acute shortage of spaces.
“The security guard told me that there had been a change in policy,” another wrote, adding he had used the same spot for seven years without ever encountering any problems.
Another patient lamented that he…