A main road to watch
The never forgotten Italian anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone was killed together with his wife and three police officers on a motorway in May 1992 in Palermo. The car in which he was travelling, at an estimated speed of about 150 kilometres an hour,...
The never forgotten Italian anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone was killed together with his wife and three police officers on a motorway in May 1992 in Palermo. The car in which he was travelling, at an estimated speed of about 150 kilometres an hour, was blown up by a bomb that had been placed under the thick asphalt of the road....
Years have passed and terrorism has unfortunately intensified worldwide. We hear all the time about merciless suicide bombers who go to strategic places in order to inflict as much pain, harm and sufferings as possible.
In November, Malta will have the honour of hosting Commonwealth leaders, including the Queen of England, and I am almost certain that they will pass in triumph through the majestic St Anne Street, in Floriana. The Police Force, the Armed Forces of Malta, the Civil Protection Department and medical teams from the Health Department will be on full alert and, as often happens, I assume that several roads will be closed for quite some time for the public.
However, has anyone ever thought that St Anne Street has vulnerable, weak points? I am referring to the subways. So, I hope they will be heavily guarded and perhaps receive some maintenance as well. Raping or murdering an innocent lady in a subway during late evening or early morning hours is a serious crime but ambushing the Queen or a prime minister is world shocking breaking news!
Apart from this, I turn my attention towards the new central strip in the same street. The rise in brick height level, coupled with the elimination of the thin sectional steel barrier (which used to absorb some of the impact energy of collision, by becoming deformed!) implies that more cars and bones will be broken!
Being white and cement in nature, the bricks may not be painted (which in my opinion is a waste of time and resources, due to heavy pollution) but the dark, rough plastering in between the brick spaces spoiled the broth. This could have been overcome by using white cement.
Also, the removal of the steel barrier will encourage more passers-by to cross the road quicker (often risking their lives) from any point, thus squeezing the delicate flowers or turf to be planted. During the carnival parade of 2004, scores of flowering plants were massacred...