The St Paul’s Bay bypass has been opened. Finally, one may add. But although the road has been rebuilt to high standards, the project is not complete. This is because the part which collapsed a few years back is still to be reconstructed, which means that the road is still reduced to one lane either way on the Xemxija side. One hopes that the matter is sorted out quickly and that works taken in hand will not take too long to be finished.

Now that this important artery has been re-opened to traffic, it would be appropriate to remove the signs that warn drivers coming down from Mellieha that the St Paul’s Bay bypass is closed. There are at least two signs – with a red background – that tell drivers the bypass is closed. One is at the top of Xemxija Hill and the other one is at the bottom. They should be removed immediately.

Late-evening barbecues are being held on most of our beaches, as is traditional during the summer months. But one cannot help noticing that most people fail to clean up the mess after entertaining themselves on the sand or on the rocks. It should not be too much of a hassle to dispose of the unwanted material in the many bins that dot our beaches. It is so sad to see so much waste on our beaches.

Speaking of barbecues, it is also annoying to have “neighbouring” groups of people playing loud music. People should respect each other more. One should not try to impose one’s favourite music to others nearby. The volume of the music being played should be kept as low as possible. There might be people who want to listen to their own music or just want to spend some time in peace and quiet, listening only to the waves crumbling on the rocks or sand.

Some people also have the habit of washing plates, glasses and cutlery in the sea after making use of them during such barbecues. Others take jerry-cans with water to wash them, again leaving dirty water on the sand or on the rocks. This practice should be avoided. Is it such a problem to take the dirty crockery and cutlery back home and wash them there?

Some foreign students were seen walking on the concrete blocks that divide the two lanes leading to the Manwel Dimech bridge (the deck that is still open to traffic) one day last week. Drivers had to proceed more cautiously than other times because they feared the worse if one of these students accidentally lost his or her footing. The schools responsible should warn their

students not to behave so irresponsibly.

People taking their dogs out for a walk should show more respect to their neighbours. A St Julian’s resident phoned in to say that every single day she must wash the pavement in front of her house because of the dog litter she finds each and every morning. Dog owners are supposed to clean up the mess that their pets leave behind, but apparently few do so. More civic sense please.

A few weeks ago this newspaper reported that the culvert in Birkirkara Road, St Julian’s, as one is driving up to San Gwann, collapsed and was dangerous to traffic. The culvert was repaired in haste and now, barely one month later, the same problem has cropped up. The culvert is damaged once again and there will soon be another gaping hole that can cause accidents and damage to cars.