The number of barbecues that are held on Malta’s most popular beaches, especially on a Saturday night, is amazing. Hundreds of people gather with their families and friends to spend an evening near the sea, and most leave no stone unturned to have the best of facilities. Some even have generators to provide electricity. One asks – is this legal? And, if it is, shouldn’t there be some form of control to make the practice safe? For example, at Ghadira most generators are left on pavements above the beach.

Added to this, many of the generators function rather noisily, spoiling the fun of other groups nearby. And, speaking of noise, people having barbecues should respect others by keeping the volume of the music they are playing as low as possible. It is so annoying to have to listen to someone else’s loud music instead of your own music.

Some traffic signs need to be replaced because the lettering is no longer legible. One such sign can be found as one is leaving Mellieha before going down the Selmun Hill. While for local drivers – especially those who frequent particular areas regularly – road signs are not important, for others, especially tourists, these are fundamental.

There are several occasions when bumper-to-bumper traffic accidents – which are resolved without the need to call wardens or policemen – lead to long traffic jams just because the drivers involved do not remove their vehicles while they are filling up their respective forms. Once the drivers choose to sort out the matter between them, there is no need for the cars to be left in the middle of the road.

People taking out their dogs for a walk should make sure that their pet does not litter publicly and, if it does, the mess is removed. There are too many people who simply ignore their basic civic duties, and this is especially annoying for others who find such a mess just in front of their doorstep.

Drivers find it extremely frustrating when pedestrians wanting to make use of pelican lights press the button for the lights to turn red (for the drivers) but do not wait for them to do so and cross the road if no traffic is coming. This then means that drivers have to stop at the red light when there is no one to cross the road. Pedestrians should always wait for the lights to run red before crossing the road as this is certainly much safer.

A poster telling drivers about the work that is taking place on the Manwel Dimech Bridge indicates that the project should be completed by next month. It is evident that the deadline will not be met – it would be already a feat if half of the project, that is the south-bound deck, is finished on time, let alone both sections. It would be perhaps appropriate for the ministry concerned to replace the poster with a more updated one.

Construction work is not supposed to be carried out early in the morning or in the afternoon in tourist areas. Yet, some builders still turn up on site at 6am because, they say, they want to avoid working during the peak hours of sunshine. While this is understandable, it is on the other hand not nice for people on holiday to have to wake up so early because of the noise created by these workmen.