Being one of the many thousands who hit the road in the morning to go to work, I am sure that some of you reading my letter will surely agree with me.

A timing difficulty

The place in question is Marsa: from the lights section next to the Shipbuilding area, past the Super One TV Station onwards.

Basically, everything revolves around the fact that the traffic police officers – though doing their duty – are not helping much, in my opinion, in the way the traffic is allowed to flow.

Every time the officers – who are stationed past the Interprint offices where vehicles approach the main street from the left hand side – stop the coming vehicles from the main street, chaos thrives at the lights next to the Shipbuilding.

The reason is simple. The amount of time that the oncoming cars from the main street are halted impacts with the lights’ timing. I believe that one should check the mechanisms of this system and, if need be, alter it accordingly.

The bus lane nightmare

In addition to the above difficulty, there is the bus-lane saga. Looking through my car’s window I see – and this every day – the bus-lane occasionally occupied by a bus or a mini van transporting students to school, while the other three lanes are packed with cars.

Is it possible not to conclude that our streets cannot handle this traffic situation especially when we know that we have a high rate of cars per capita?

In the library science jargon we use phrases like “must haves”, “good to have” and the “wish to have” – in relation to books to be purchased for one’s library. I believe that the bus-lane idea falls under the “wish” aspect of the Maltese society. We wish to have a bus-lane service which is fast and efficient; we wish to have bicycle lanes which give us the opportunity to go around safely within the lines provided; but simply we cannot have it because everything is related to our surface area.

As a Maltese citizen with a power operating only once every five years (and when the local council elections take place), I believe that I too have the civic duty to air my views on any matter affecting my lifestyle.

And to this end may I remind the authorities concerned whether leading or opposing that they are responsible for every decision they take or the lack thereof. May I gently add that “being in authority” does not necessarily mean “doing the right thing”.

Claudio Laferla

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