A number of readers have reacted to last week’s article regarding the local warden system.

The most interesting reaction came from a man who said he is a former warden. He agreed that, although when recruited wardens are told that there will not be any pressure on them to issue tickets, in actual fact they are placed under extreme pressure to deliver. There is a quota system in place and they are told by their immediate superiors that unless they reach their quota, they may as well find a different job, or else they are sent to do warden jobs that are not as remunerative.

This reader gave examples of the unofficial quotas wardens can have:

Central District (Msida, Pieta, Qormi, Hamrun, Siggiewi): five tickets an hour

Birkirkara District (Birkirkara, St Venera, Lija, Attard, Balzan, Iklin, Rabat, Mdina, Mtarfa): three tickets an hour

Mosta District (Mosta, St Paul’s Bay, Naxxar, Mellieha, Gharghur): three-four tickets an hour

Sliema District (Sliema, St Julian’s, Swieqi, Gzira, Ta’ Xbiex, San Gwann): five tickets an hour.

He also said that when he could not find enough culprits to whom give tickets, he used to find an abandoned car and dump nine tickets on it.

Another reader wrote: “What people are completely terrified of are the wardens who are there only for the money. The ones who will book them, even wrongly or incorrectly, because they know that many people cannot afford to waste a day off from work to contest an imaginary infringement. Ask that person who was fined in Gozo when he never went to Gozo. Why do wardens persistently position themselves near the American Residence in Attard, when even they know that motorists driving from Triq il-Gonna cannot possibly see the ‘circle marking’ before they have already crossed it? Why are the fines on roads to Mdina and Xemxija mostly on uphill infringements and not on downhill?”

And a lawyer wrote: “If you can obtain some figures from the newly set up Petitions Board ( I think it is called ) – this board reviews peoples’ complaints re tickets, fines etc., you will find that a very high percentage of the complaints submitted are accepted by the board, which goes to show that people are being penalised unjustly and unfairly in many cases.”