On 25 March, Good Friday 2005, like many others, together with my family, I went to visit one of the most beautiful sepulchres we have in Malta, the one at the Cathedral in Mdina.
Arriving at Rabat, bordering Mdina at around 11.45 am, one could easily see the huge influx of cars, vans, buses and tourist coaches.
One could also notice the total traffic congestion and chaos near the Domus Romana. No local wardens were anywhere to be seen to control the passing traffic. The warden was somewhere else, I learnt later at my own expense.
Obviously, there were no parking places to be found and you could see drivers like myself going round in circles trying to find one. Like many others, I parked my car in a street going down towards Mtarfa from near the Mdina side gate in Triq l-Gharreqin.
On walking towards Mdina, I saw a warden, but he was not managing traffic, he was busily and happily dishing out notices of contravention. A passerby who spoke to him was heard saying: “Even today, Good Friday, you are giving tickets”. The warden’s answer was “Just because it is Good Friday, do you expect to do anything you want?” Obviously not, is my answer to that.
On contacting the executive secretary of Mdina local council, I was informed that it is the Joint Office who sends out wardens to different places in Malta and Gozo and the local councils have nothing to do with this. But before the Joint Office, which is based in Birkirkara, sends out wardens who indiscriminately book people for parking contraventions, the Joint Office should first provide parking places, even perhaps at a charge, when and where there is excess traffic going round on days like this year’s 25 March, Good Friday.
To add insult to injury, later on in the afternoon, close to where my car was parked, a very insignificant car accident occurred. One of the wardens accused me of being at fault that this accident occurred.
The warden should have been in the same place and at the same time four weeks ago, when I was the victim of an attempted car theft. The culprit did not manage to steal my car – thanks to the alarm system I have and certainly no thanks to any warden.
The Joint Office should be educating its wardens on how to deal with people (try to teach them some customer care) and not let them be arrogant towards drivers. Let nobody forget that we drivers are the clients in relation with the wardens.
One thing is for sure, thanks to this warden’s attitude, it is not the Joint Office that is going to lose out on this incident, but the many catering and other establishments in Rabat and Mdina, if people like me decide not to go to Mdina and Rabat any more.
Angelo Vassallo
San Gwann