The GSD say they were "not consulted about all the traffic measures" recently announced by Government.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The GSD were not consulted about all the traffic measures announced by Government nor did we agree their specific timing. Any suggestion to that effect is simply untrue. The Government statement that the GSD were “consulted...and have agreed and supported the initiatives” is untrue. 
Additionally what the Government cannot expect is to seek to sell any measure to people simply on a COVID bandwagon. Social or economic or environmental measures need to stand on their own merits. The new practice of social distancing has come about because as a society we need to adopt new behaviour because of COVID19. But the imposition of parking fees in MidTown or the closure of Europort Avenue have got nothing to do with dealing with the virus. These measures need to stand on their own two feet and the Government needs to persuade people why these should happen. The GSD already said yesterday we do not favour the closure of Europort Avenue. 

In a quick return to form the Government accuses the GSD Opposition of “ignorance” or being “unfair” or “unambitious.” The reality is very different. These measures require full and proper consultation of the public and are not urgent in the sense that they are not about dealing with the virus. 

The Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi, said: 

“The proposals on Line Wall and Chatham Counterguard were contained in a draft document that the GSD saw. However there was no reference in that document to implementation on the 1 June 2020 or how the groundwork or consultation would be carried out. What we urged yesterday was for Government to do a full consultation with parties interested and the necessary groundwork before plans are implemented. We also made the obvious point that other measures need to be put in place for such a plan to work – like a Park & Ride for foreign vehicles for example. There is nothing “unfair” or “unambitious” with that. 

Additionally, there was no question of the GSD as an Opposition having agreed to support the Line Wall Road project. I was initially shown the draft document by the Chief Minister with his specific request that I did not share it with GSD colleagues because it was still in very draft form. He wanted my personal view on aspects of it which I was happy to give to him in a very short space of time so that he could have these ahead of further discussions with his Cabinet colleagues. I did that because I took the view it was important to work together to improve the document so that Gibraltar could benefit from a better Unlock Programme. It was obvious any feedback on the principle of the Line Wall project was personal only and known to be so. Additionally we did not speak about timing or consultation of stakeholders which were the subject of my comments yesterday on this aspect. 

The second time I received the document I was asked to comment specifically on two sections of the document which did not contain traffic proposals. Again I was asked to comment on it in a very short time-frame to assist the Chief Minister. Again I took the view it was important I should assist in the wider public interest. It was, at that stage, that I was permitted to share the document with colleagues. 

In any event there has never been any mention in that document of the Midtown parking fees or the closure of Europort Avenue. What is “unfair” and simply untrue is to suggest otherwise. The GSD Opposition has been happy to work with the Government in the wider interests of Gibraltar at the time of pandemic to get Gibraltar through all this. But it is wrong of the Government to seek to take advantage of that good faith to suggest that there has been consultation where there hasn’t been.”