On the dot

A part of the pavement in The Strand, Sliema has been left broken for nearly four years. Thousands of people pass by daily - except, apparently, people sitting on the local council - and it is not the first time that someone has tripped and injured himself.

Casting Call

Someone with a warped sense of humour decided that a broken limb is funny - especially if it puts its owner out of action in an important waterpolo match. This must have been the reason that the caricature of an injured player was displayed during a recent game, which was also being aired live on television. To his credit, the cameraman panned away quickly when the banner came, at least twice, into his line of vision.

Fully Booked

British statistics for national tests results indicate that 14-year-old boys have a reading age of 11 or below. More than 20 per cent, moreover, have a reading age of nine. Ironically, about 10,000 of these scored lower marks in reading after three years at secondary school than they did in their final year at primary. This is tragic - one wonders what the situation in Malta is like.

Fishing for Compliments

Many people thought that purchasing a summer residence in Marsascala would be a wise move, intended to provide the ultimate change from a fast-paced city life to that of a peaceful seaside village. This is no longer the case, since the Cerviola Hotel and Evans Gardens are determined to spoil the peace and quiet with their choice of raucous music. This goes on from about 7 p.m. till 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Surely noise pollution is not a matter of switching off noise after 11 p.m. but keeping the volume down to an acceptable level at all times?

Street Scope

This column has several times had occasion to point out several shortcomings that were spoiling the environment in Marina Street Pieta', and yet, nothing has been done about them. In 1992, the main road was given an asphalt layer, thus creating uneven levels; after the first drizzle there is a pool of water in the parking area opposite the pelican lights. The fountain in Marina Gardens is just an elaborate waste-paper basket, and the gazebos are probably beyond repair.

Sold Out

Why is it that people seek to obtain unfair advantage over others, by using public property? The huge amount of hoardings, placards, posters and banners seen attached to electricity pylons, lamp posts and walls increases by the minute. The exercise to remove all rusted tanks and other paraphernalia from rubble walls was not thoroughly completed, and this exacerbates the general air of carelessness that prevails in some areas.

Rubble Trouble

The lower part of a rubble wall in the new extension of Sacred Heart Avenue, St Julians has been left unattended and as a result the wall's upper stones have no support creating a danger for pedestrians and cars parked in the vicinity. Parts of the wall had already collapsed on a couple of cars a few months ago but the local council has taken no action to avoid such danger. Suggestions have been forwarded to the local council and the police for the building of a temporary brick wall but to no avail!

Potholed Marsascala

This column has called several times for the urgent repair of both roads leading to Marsascala, namely the old road and the bypass, but the appeals fall on deaf ears. The now faded billboard announcing the "new roads" has become a joke. It is summer and the roads are full of potholes, some many centimetres deep. Imagine what they will be like come the rainy season. The number of punctures and the cost of car repairs have increased tenfold for Marsascala residents. The government was quick to upgrade the waste recycling plant, so why not the roads?

Down Hill

The general area of where Naxxar Road meets Valley Road in Birkirkara has always been an accident waiting to happen - whether during rush hours or on weekends. The fact that heavy plant and private vehicles have to jockey for position in a junction that consists of many streets makes the problem much worse. Now we have had an accident that could well have been fatal. Is it time for the bus-stop to be removed from practically the very edge of the pavement at the very corner of the street?

Number's Up

In the general area of the Lotto department, at Floriana, there are several dilapidated chambers. These have been obviously broken into and entered by people with questionable motives. Perhaps it is time they were spruced up and used for a better purpose - and while the renovation works are going on, the area would fare better were it sealed.

Stone Walled

Often, the news carries information about how much money was spent cleaning up the bastions from weeds. The area in front of Hastings Gardens in Valletta already sprouts some plants - and very soon, these will spread and require an effort to uproot them. Could not they be taken out as soon as they appear?