Last Tuesday’s heavy storm in the morning is the shape of things to come every time it rains heavily during peak hours – at a time when most people are on the roads. The Civil Protection Department did the right thing in urging drivers not to drive through flooded roads. It is better to wait a few minutes than risk getting seriously hurt. Employers and school administrators understand late arrivals in such circumstances.

While driving in the rain, drivers should respect pedestrians who are trying to make their way on pavements or crossing the road. Too often it happens that drivers splash water onto pedestrians just for the sake of having some fun, when of course it is certainly not funny for the pedestrians to have to go to school or their offices in wet clothes. Some more respect would be appreciated.

The second edition of the Notte Bianca event will be held on Saturday. Last year it was a huge success in terms of public participation, with the biggest problem being traffic management towards the capital city. One hopes that the organisers have made arrangements to avoid a repetition of the long queues going back to Msida and Marsa. One also hopes that restaurants in Valletta will not run out of food and drink again too.

The winter schedules of all television stations will kick-off today. Some programmes have been confirmed, others have been dropped, while new ones will make it on air. Local viewers expect good quality programmes – both for information and entertainment purposes. Local stations have come a long way but some productions still leave much to be desired. More importantly, the intelligence of the viewers should always be respected.

Now that schools have opened their doors and the summer season is officially over, most parents will enter the winter routine – that of taking their kids to activities outside school hours such as football, dancing, art, drama and, of course, religious doctrine lessons. Again, it is never enough to insist that parents with children in their cars should drive extra carefully and make sure that the young ones are safely strapped behind seat-belts before they start driving.

Some people do not seem to know what the word “queue” means, or how the system should work. Some just ignore others who are waiting patiently to be served, butting in with the excuse that it will only take a few seconds for them to get what they want. Even if this is so, people should still wait behind others who are already there before them. Such an attitude is a perfect example of bad manners. The people who are serving should make it a point not to accede to such demands.

Speaking of queues, it is always a good idea to carry a book, a newspaper or a magazine wherever you’re going. So many people spend long minutes staring at the ceiling or at other people in front of them while waiting to be served, when those minutes could be more fruitful if they carry with them something to read. Time will certainly pass more quickly, and at least one would have learnt something new.