'User-friendly' wardens

I refer to the letter by Vincent A. Galea (June 22).

I sympathise with Mr Galea as I went through the same experience in Gozo. Three weeks after a recent visit to the sister island, I had a summons from the Ghajnsielem local council to appear before the Commissioner for Justice because my car "did not have the break lights or these were not kept in good condition".

Now this car is kept in pristine condition and, as Mr Galea pointed out, it is almost impossible to detect faulty break lights unless someone is standing behind the car and draws your attention to it.

However, this letter is not meant to dwell on the details but rather on the negative functional perspective of the traffic wardens which is making them so unpopular with the public. I do not wish to chastise any warden. I am sure he (she) would plead that he is doing his duty within the law. But is the spirit of the law purely punitive? Is the function of the traffic warden simply a means to impose fines or is the warden meant to be a "user friendly" institution, to inform, advise and educate the public?

There is a difference between a deliberate offence (say parking) and a minor offence which the driver is unlikely to be aware of. And is it not more logical for the warden to inform the driver on the spot of any unsuspected malfunction and to warn him that he might risk breaking the law or, worse, cause an accident?

In my case three weeks passed before I was even aware of the problem. We have all had occasion to warn others (or be warned ourselves) of something wrong with our vehicles, be it a slow puncture, malfunctioning lights etc. If the public in general exercises such courtesy, why cannot wardens be trained to do the same? Indeed, I have had a personal experience of extremely courteous and helpful wardens. Why cannot this be a more general trait? Surely it would be in the interest of the wardens themselves to be seen to be friendly and helpful and to shed the present negative image which they do not deserve.

I would be interested to know the views of the learned Commissioner of Justice on these points. Although it would be much more convenient (and cheaper) for me to pay the Lm10 fine I have decided to take the day off in order to go to Gozo to put these basic questions to the court.