We have all seen them, as we make our way to the office or any other workplace during the morning rush hours.

They are the Transport Malta officers, wearing their uniform and tags, with fluorescent vests to be seen better by approaching cars, especially on dull, cloudy, rainy days.

Each of them – sometimes they are seen in pairs too – has been assigned a particular “knot” in the network, usually a roundabout where the traffic always seems to come to a standstill, especially during the time when thousands of cars, vans, coaches, lorries and trucks are passing on their way to their own destination.

A number of them do their job, signalling to drivers when they ought to stop or when to continue, fulfilling their task to aid drivers. There are some who are very keen to help, doing their best to improve the constant flow of cars coming from each and every direction. In many instances, their presence alleviates the jam and drivers also act in a more disciplined manner when they see them directing the traffic to the best of their abilities.

But then we must say that there are some other officials who just “watch” the traffic go by, not lifting a finger, let alone a hand, to help out, or at least appear to do so.

They stand on the side of the road, some of them fiddling with their mobile phone, or simply just looking at the cars passing by. When it’s raining in winter, or already too warm in the morning hours during the summer months, they seek the shelter of a tree or a bridge, or anything else which keeps them from getting wet or getting a sun tan.

They simply contribute nothing to make it easier for the drivers, not even when the cars are interlinked together in an impossible gridlock that inevitably brings the traffic to a complete halt. They just stand there, their inaction probably leading to that gridlock before it happens, and doing nothing to “unlock” the impasse.

We do not know if there is a rotation in the way that these Transport Malta officers are assigned, or if they are always given the same area to monitor. But what drivers have noticed is that there are places where the officer is doing his job, and there are other places where the officer in charge is oblivious to what is happening around him.

There are also certain instances where, at least it is perceived, that not enough flow is given to vehicles coming from the more heavy traffic direction, causing a jam on one part of an intersection. The officers might be doing their job in such areas, but one questions if better organisation could perhaps help in such instances.

Transport Malta would do well to carry out its own exercise to see who of the officers is doing his duty, and who is not.

It should not be acceptable that people who are supposed to be doing something – and are being paid for their services to do so – do nothing at all. These officers have a task to do, and they should be carrying it out.

It is more frustrating for drivers when they get into a traffic jam and see that whoever is responsible to at least try to avoid having more and more cars accumulating in a blocked piece of road network not doing anything to resolve the problem.