Vehicles belonging to the Environmental Landscapes Consortium are at times badly parked on the side of main thoroughfares while consortium personnel go along with their day’s work, failing to acknowledge the danger they are creating to oncoming vehicles and to themselves for that matter, particularly when unaccompanied by traffic policemen.

A case in point is yesterday morning. While driving towards St Julian’s on the new St Paul’s Bay bypass, a van was parked in a blind corner while maintenance staff conducted landscaping works on the said road.

Admittedly, many a time Consortium personnel have been accompanied by traffic policemen but it was not the case yesterday. To add insult to injury, no cones were placed as a precaution and to alert drivers. This is supposed to be the standard by law.

A number of cars could be seen swerving in a bid to avoid crashing into the badly parked van. A traffic policemen who happened to be in the vicinity at the time and driving in the same direction drove on without batting an eyelid, failing to realise the danger the van posed and to bring to the ELC’s personnel attention the hazard they were creating.

One has to appreciate the work the Consortium is doing to embellish roundabouts and our roads but what is that comes first? Urban plants first and urban safety second, or should it be vice-versa?

First and foremost, cones alone don’t do the job. If personnel aren’t always accompanied by traffic policemen then a sign should be erected at least 400 metres away saying “Lane Temporarily Closed: Men at Work 400 metres ahead ” to give enough time to drivers to safely avoid screeching to a halt or risk crashing straight into the Consortium’s vehicles or bowsers, and ELC personnel.

And even then, all ELC equipment, vehicles and materials should be well placed, away from traffic.

As much as it may be inevitable for ELC personnel to park their vehicles in the manner they do, due to Malta’s narrow lanes and curves (yesterday was not the case since the bypass is relatively wide) and the sight of flowers and greenery are pleasant, we need to use our heads more often and prevent accidents from happening. Being careless is simply unacceptable and the situation must be addressed before a fatal accident of this sort occurs. We also have to point out that it is not only motorists who are being exposed to danger, but also ELC employees themselves.