Wardens controlling traffic...but not litter louts

Local wardens are arguably doing a fair job when it comes to instilling order in drivers' chaotic and indisciplined traffic behaviour, but do not seem to be so conscientious when it comes to litter louts.

Figures obtained by The Times show that wardens dished out just 29 fines for littering in public places, including dumping, in 2002, with another 16 handed out so far this year.

But Association of Local Councils president Ian Micallef defended the figures for littering, saying that existing legislation made it extremely difficult for wardens to fine offenders.

"Wardens literally have to catch someone red handed to issue a fine. And when people see someone in a warden's uniform, you can rest assured that they will not dump anything," he said.

He said one local council had tried to take an offender to court for taking out his rubbish days before it was due to be picked up. A number of envelopes addressed to the offender and dumped in the garbage bag were presented as evidence. But still the court threw the case out because he was not caught in the act.

Dr Micallef said the association was in discussions with the government on drafting a new law which would enable local wardens to operate in plain clothes.

The association was also working to introduce environment wardens.

The comprehensive statistics obtained from the association show some interesting trends in the fines issued by wardens, most of which show that they are justifying their existence.

As expected, the vast majority of fines are issued for traffic offences, with parking infringements topping the list.

Thousands of tickets were issued for non-observance of traffic signs and for licences not being "properly displayed on the vehicle windscreen", applying mainly to those licences which are not renewed, or which have come off the windscreen and are not visible from outside.

Last year, no fewer than 2,624 motorists were fined in Sliema alone for stopping on a double yellow line. And in spite of the spiralling parking problem there, another 874 were penalised for parking on the pavement.

Valletta wardens were kept busy, dishing out 4,988 fines to motorists entering the capital without the necessary 'V' licence last year. Another 2,476 have been fined for the same reason so far this year.

The popularity of mobile phones has evidently led to a good injection of funds into local councils' coffers, as several drivers in every locality paid the Lm5 fine for speaking on the phone while driving.

Wardens in traffic-busy Msida fined 349 motorists for driving while "wearing headphones or other similar devices which hinders hearing". However, the use of hands-free sets with mobile phones is not illegal.

A total of 570 vehicles, including several buses, were fined for polluting the air in 2002, but just 86 have been pulled up for this offence so far this year.

Motorcyclists seem to be more disciplined and few have gone down on the wardens' computer. Fewer than 10 individuals were fined for carrying more than one pillion rider or riding without a crash helmet.

The same cannot be said for car drivers as hundreds were penalised for not wearing their seat-belt.

When it comes to "human emissions", fewer than a dozen individuals were slapped with a ticket for spitting or urinating in a public place. Nobody was fined for the national pastime of blaspheming - the offence falls under the jurisdiction of the police.

There is a joke which says that the Maltese drive not on the right or left, but in the shade... Many, it seems, take that joke literally - a staggering 533 tickets were issued to people for not driving on the left hand side of the road in 2002, and 185 so far this year. The vast majority were issued to drivers who crossed a double white line.

The owners of cranes and heavy vehicles, and their apparent disregard for the law, seem to be under the watchful eye of local wardens.

A total of 315 tickets were issued from January 2002 until the end of last month for depositing a crane or other heavy machinery in any street, or closing access to a street without a permit.

The Maltese may be proud of having spotless homes, but the same cannot be said for vehicles. Hundreds were fined for not keeping the vehicle clean or in a good state of repair.

There are other interesting statistics. Individuals from Mosta, Zejtun, Paola and Naxxar were fined last year for not keeping a dog muzzled at all times when they knew it was temperamental or dangerous and could cause harm to a person.