Question: when is a zebra crossing not a crossing?

Answer: When drivers consistently park on it and the authorities do nothing to stop them!

This is a persistent and annoying problem on Triq ix-Xatt, Marsascala where motorists seem to think that pedestrians have no right to cross a very busy road in the relative safety that a zebra crossing offers.

On Sunday, 26 April at around 7.30pm I witnessed the latest incident of this kind when a large, black saloon car was quite literally parked up to the pavement, totally blocking any access to the crossing and the ramp down to it.

An English woman with two dogs wanted to use the crossing and other witnesses across the street pointed out the young driver and his friends a short way down the promenade. She called across for them to move the vehicle and, along with a great deal of abusive language, was told several times to walk around the back of the vehicle!

Until a Maltese barman became involved, it was clear that these arrogant, ignorant and aggressive young men had no intention of moving the vehicle, indeed they and the group of youngsters they were talking to – both boys and girls – were laughing and joking and found it quite amusing. Shame on them all!

I don’t expect these young men will read this letter as clearly they have the mentality of morons but maybe their mothers and fathers will – and hopefully have the decency to teach their children to respect other people. And maybe they will be denied the use of “Daddy’s car” until they learn some manners as I cannot see how these youngsters could afford to own such an expensive, new car themselves.

This crossing is very important as this stretch of road is getting more and more dangerous. Not only is it very busy with traffic – cars, buses and wagons – but it is also used as a race track by both boy racers in cars and motor bike riders alike. Even if there is too much traffic ahead, these drivers have repeatedly been seen to stop and hold up traffic behind them. Then, when there is a big enough gap in front they accelerate at high speed between the cars parked on each side of the road.

It would be a simple (and cheap) enough matter to put a series of low level, sleeping policemen along this stretch of road, with a more prominent and substantial one for the zebra crossing.

With the elections coming up, maybe someone could “jump on the band wagon” – or are we going to have to wait until someone, possibly a child, is killed before any action is taken by the authorities?

Name supplied

Marsascala