Let us have more mega stars like Elton John coming our way. It is good for the body and the soul of this country and its people. Alas, Sir Elton's upcoming concert has already been marred by the grave inconvenience motorists and commuters have had to put up with each and every working day. And the prospects are not any brighter notwithstanding two whole weeks of complaints from every quarter. This will be another gruelling week. Perhaps the only solace lies in the fact that this should be the final week of sacrifice given that the performance is slated for this Sunday!

It has been reported that the singer's tour manager left the organisers with no choice for venue but the Floriana granaries, in keeping with the artist's demand for a historic backdrop. It would not be amiss for Sir Elton to be asked whether he would have objected to the concert being held in Ta' Qali had he been aware of the problems caused and the history that surrounds that venue. For is St Publius church more imposing than the Mdina cathedral and is the view of the old city's walls not as picturesque as Valletta's history-steeped bastions?

The promoters, it ought to be made clear at the outset, can hardly be faulted. They saw an opportunity and grabbed it. They went through the proper channels and obtained the necessary permits - nobody has cried foul so far. That is, after all, entrepreneurship.

But just as the Maltese authorities sprung into action - or, perhaps, they were pushed into acting - and stopped the Doulos from selling discounted books in Malta, ostensibly in a bid to uphold the law and protect Maltese booksellers, one would have excepted the authorities that be to at least likewise look after the interest of motorists, commuters, tourists, the economy...

No, this time no knight in shining armour appeared to champion the rights of the small fry. These were left to fry in the terribly hot buses and their vehicles as they wait to crawl into the capital.

No authority would accept blame. The buck keeps being passed on. Yet one is justified to wonder and ask: Did the Floriana local council take it lying down? Is it possible the police could do nothing about it? Was it impossible for the stands erected on the road now closed to traffic to be sufficiently raised to allow at least light cars to pass underneath, thus reducing the flow on the other roads? Could vehicles heading for the Floriana car park not be directed straight from St Anne Street towards the War Memorial and then turn left towards the bus terminus and then left again towards the car park thus easing the bottleneck near the Phoenicia hotel?

The Malta Transport Authority is the one that should give most of the answers for it was the one that allowed the road to be closed. If, as its chief executive officer told The Times only last Thursday, traffic regulations obliged the police commissioner to give notice of the roads' closure through the Government Gazette but that had not been done, the roads should not have been allowed to be closed before such notice was gazetted because that would be irregular. In the circumstances, the Transport Authority can be accused of sanctioning an irregularity.

Neither motorists nor commuters should expect any apologies this week. In this country, sorry does not only seem but is the hardest word!

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.