Last week, a group of Lija residents filed an application in court against the Lija mayor over the excessive volume of traffic that is allowed to transit from their streets. Residents of San Lucinju and Mithna streets are arguing that the area they live in cannot withstand the traffic which passes through in view of the changes in traffic flow brought about by the council.

They are claiming that their streets have become arterial links between various localities, with vehicles going through them at excessive speed. A number of accidents have also taken place, they say, and the council did not listen to their pleas to take remedial action.

Without going into the merits of the case – it is up to the court to pass judgment – such an application could open a can of worms for local councils and, now that the government is planning a reform, it should perhaps also look into this matter.

Generally speaking, local councils have acted very much in the same way as central governments have been doing for decades. Councillors elected by the same residents take decisions on their behalf – apart from the administrative stuff that needs to be seen to on a day-to-day basis, councils are responsible for other matters such as traffic management and it does not always happen that the solutions they come up with are welcomed by the residents.

In the past, residents have taken any action or projects by the central government or local councils in a passive way. There was often a lot of grumbling and complaining, perhaps a letter or two from some enterprising residents, but the matter often stopped at that and the project went ahead without further problems.

These Lija residents have thought it fit to contest the decision taken by their local council in court. Others might follow suit, and local councils (and perhaps even the government) could be in for a hard time if the idea gains ground. Because, it must be said, there have been several residents in many areas around Malta that have been hit hard by decisions that were taken.

Taking roads as just one example, there have been occasions when stretches that were more or less “private”, in the sense that they were predominantly used by residents living there, were transformed overnight into major arteries. Suddenly, roads that used to take 100 cars a day started to be used by 10,000, and this of course changes the whole scenario.

People who were used to a quiet life ended up living in the constant noise of traffic, and they started to experience parking problems too. The value of their property diminished as well, and the quality of their life deteriorated, so much so that some chose to move away.

If such situations happened abroad, where people have the culture of suing others to protect their rights, such matters would have ended up in court immediately. Abroad, it has often happened that someone who stumbles on a rough pavement and is injured takes the entity responsible for the pavement’s maintenance to court, and sometimes damages have been awarded.

This kind of culture is not so prevalent in Malta, but with the European Union giving so many rights to its citizens, it is bound to find its roots here too.

And this is why local councils need to be more accountable in the way they act and more responsible towards the residents who elected them. Decisions that affect other people’s lives in no small way cannot be taken at face value any longer.

Residents have every right to protect themselves and their property, even against the council they elected.