Our sister Sunday paper last week carried a report on the sorry sight at the new and just inaugurated bus terminus at City Gate.

Not only were the seven kiosks there built far later than they were meant to, but also they have not been consigned to those who will man them.

As a result, only one is being used, by Arriva. Of the rest, three have had their glass windows broken and four are without doors, so that people are sorely tempted to use them as public toilets – given the ones available are on the far side.

Things, in that respect, have gone from bad to worse. At least the initial plan was very good to look at – if only all the kiosks were ready on time. Even so, and despite the need to bring into play huge tents to cover passengers from the summer sun, it was well organised. Buses unloaded passengers next to the Christ the King monument and the buses each had their bus lane in the proper place.

Then, when the people rose in anger at the chaos, more bus services were laid on and the increase of buses going to Valletta necessitated the changes that took place – buses thenceforth let their passengers down back in the semicircle around the Tritons’ fountain and things were back to how they were before – a serious letdown for a government that put so much store on the novel traffic system.

Since then, things have stagnated. Despite the frequent government statements that things will soon get back to how they were, nothing has happened. Even the task force set up by the prime minister has been forgotten as nothing else has been heard of it.

Now, we have this kiosk saga.

This, however, is not all. On the outside of City Gate, the lawlessness and chaos that characterised the site for decades has continued, despite the costly works on the Renzo Piano City Gate, new Parliament building and Opera House site on the other side.

Now that the entrance to Valletta has been narrowed, people entering Valletta are jostled, obstructed and accosted by mobile phone commission agents, sellers of things as diverse as shoes and bread, collectors of signatures against development projects et al.

In a few weeks’ time, work will begin on the bridge itself and presumably the chaos will be even greater.

And that is only as far as an ordinary person can see. Heaven knows what else goes on, especially after dark when the area is completely unpoliced and unsupervised. You can take your pick – drugs, prostitution, possibly worse. Also, the lighting in the area, even on the way to the new bus terminus, is almost inexistent.

In short, this is a heartfelt appeal to the authorities to be aware of what is going on and to take appropriate action. It would be more than just stupid to allow things to remain as they are and to continue to allow things to degenerate.