Assoċjazzjoni Wirt il-Kalkara notes with satisfaction the Kalkara Local Council’s efforts through which over the last few days the Street Naming Committee has approved five new names for streets in Kalkara, with the their respective notice being published in the Government Gazette. These are: Dawret Fra Giovanni Bichi, Triq Malta Rebbieħa, Triq ir-Regatta 1969, Sqaq Ernle Bradford and Sqaq il-Kan. Ġużepp Azzopardi. This achievement follows an extensive report with suggestions for changes to some street names in the locality that Assoċjazzjoni Wirt il-Kalkara had drafted and presented to the Local Council back in March 2019. Indeed, four of these five names were an integral part of this report. You can read this report clicking here.
In this report the Association affirmed that, “The English phrase states ‘What’s in a name? ’It is correct to state that a street name does not make a difference in the daily life of the residents. However, it is also true that as villagers we should pay tribute to and recognize the events and efforts of the people of Kalkara throughout the years. With this in mind, the Association desires that the streets of our village should be a mirror of what we believe in and cherish: what distinguishes us from other localities and creates the authentic character of every town and village in Malta and Gozo.”
In Kalkara, apart from having unnamed streets (usually called “New street in Street…”); there are street names that do not respect the topography of the village. Among others we find streets that have been given a name for items not related to Kalkara, as well as for Maltese and even foreign persons who probably at no time in their lives have touched the Kalkara land. Meanwhile, there are various objects, events and characters from Kalkara who have unfortunately do not have a street named for them. This, in addition to the fact that there are also roads that turn in a 90 degree turn and even end at a particular stage, with the road next to them having the same name as the previous road. This leads to some referential confusion, especially from people who do not live in Kalkara and are therefore unaware of this reality.
Assoċjazzjoni Wirt il-Kalkara had proposed that the necessary changes should be made over a number of years and not all at once, so as not to create unnecessary challenges for residents. Hence, after the first phase is now practically over, the Association is looking forward to the beginning of the second phase with the addition of more new street names which pay due tribute to all that is part of Kalkara.
