Heavy rain reveals poor roadworks

It is shake, rattle and roll for motorists as the heavy rainfall in recent days has given rise to dozens of potholes, creating a boom in business for car tyre service operators but frustration for car owners and towing companies.

Large craters surfaced on many roads as the rain fell relentlessly on the Maltese islands.

As motorists tried to navigate the potential traps, tow trucks were busy assisting vehicles especially from Marsascala, Bahar ic-Caghaq, Sliema and Lija.

RMF managing director Patrick Rausi said his company had been inundated by the "record" number of puncture-related phone-calls.

"During this time of year, our average call-out rate is approximately 100 calls a day but this year this number has almost doubled. Over the weekend we had an abnormal increase in breakdown calls."

He said the number of calls for assistance made were not the result of flooding but because of punctured tyres. Besides being hazardous to other drivers, these incidents were causing long traffic jams.

Such incidents, Mr Rausi said, often caused problems not only for the vehicle's tyres, but also to the steering mechanism, which can potentially lead to serious accidents.

"We could literally have stationed our tow-trucks in certain areas. If the authorities are going to wait for the rain to subside, the situation is only going to get worse," Mr Rausi warned.

A spokesman for CAA shared Mr Rausi's frustration.

"Some of the potholes are horrific. One on The Strand resembles a quarry. We had four calls for assistance from exactly the same place in Lija."

The Malta Transport Authority is in the meantime taking immediate action to remedy any damage to any arterial or distributor road surfaces that may have resulted from the rainfall.

Permanent reinstatement with hot asphalt will be carried out in due course, weather permitting.

But the problem is that some roads have absorbed so much water that replenishing them with tarmac at this moment was useless, the MTA spokesman said.

Serious surface damage to the road network may be reported on Freephone 80072393.

The spokesman said that certain roads were under their jurisdiction and others were the council's responsibility. The only people that are happy at the moment are the car tyre companies which have seen turnover treble.

"It's a big disaster out there on the roads and many motorists that have punctured two tyres at once, complete with damaged rims," the owner of a Gzira station said.

"But I must admit I can't complain about business."