On the dot

Every so often, the press carries reports about how a part of our heritage was repaired, to a whopping cost. It would seem as if the price for fixing Fort St Elmo is too prohibitive. Yet, one could easily finance it... by taking bets as to when it will collapse into a heap of rubble.

Crossroads

The bus stop on the Marsa side, across the road from the Blata l-Bajda Museum chapel, is one that thousands of people use every day. However, the majority of these cross blindly, even when the lights are against them, if they see their bus coming. This happens especially when another bus would not be coming along for at least 15 minutes. This crossing is a fatal accident waiting to happen.

Hibernation

A correspondent felt he had no option but to write to The Times hoping things would finally move. This after he reported a blocked culvert at the St Paul's Bay bypass three times to the Public Transport Authority with nothing being done. ADT, are you still there?

Downhill

Valletta local council has finally decided to patch up the pavement in the lower part of St Christopher Street, between St Paul Street and East Street. However, nothing has been done about some of the basement grilles. Parking on the left-hand side of the street, going down, still means that when wide or heavy vehicles drive down the road, their mirrors are likely to hit pedestrians' heads unless these move against the wall.

Doorways

Is it actually specified at law that access to schools during school hours must be available all the time through gateways being left wide open and doors unlocked? There are schools where the distance between where students take their breaks and the Great Outside is relatively short. Even if this is covered by CCTV, it would be impossible to undo any damage wrought, even if this is merely trespassing by unauthorised persons. Surely children ought to be more precious to us?

Exchanges

Why is it that local councils sport an e-mail address on their websites and letterheads? Some of them are very reluctant to reply to electronic communications from one individual yet very quick to send circulars to the entire neighbourhood, boasting of any attainment, however unimportant to that particular area it may be.

Websites

Speaking of local councils' websites, it would be good to update them, every so often. Even when errors are pointed out by the public, these are either rectified months later or not at all. The website for the Swieqi council is a case in point; the last posting is dated March 20, 2007. An out-of-date site is worse than useless. Residents want news, not only history.

Yellow perils

The Ħamrun or Blata l-Bajda traffic police officers appear not to notice cars parked for considerable periods on the yellow lines and under the bus stop signs at High Street in Blata l-Bajda (on the side of the Museum chapel). Action about this is long overdue. Commuters risk life and limb having to walk out into the middle of this street to stop and board the Rabat and Birkirkara buses.

Decent

Whatever happened to the dress code of which the head of the Junior College boasted so much during the introductory meetings for students and parents? Females are regularly seen going about with considerable parts of their anatomies showing and some of the males regularly sport T-shirts with offensive or provocative slogans. It is high time that something was done about this as it shows a lack of respect to others and to oneself.

Discrimination

Some of the infomercials co-financed by the European Union tell us that there must be no type of gender discrimination at the place of work. Be that as it may, there are places that differentiate between one University degree and another, even when the subjects of the ones that get allowances have little or nothing to do with the jobs at which the person works. Surely this, too, is discrimination?

Inconvenience

It is very important that the authorities strongly consider extending the hours of routes A and B, as operated by the Park and Ride service. There are many people who work in the areas of St Elmo and Victoria Gate who would like to start using this service but find the times they operate very inconvenient. This would mean that fewer people would be tempted to use private transport.

Strategic

The idea of having Christmas decorations on centre strips on the Regional Road is all very well. However, the chances are that those at the entrance of the tunnel at St Julians as one approaches it from the St Julians side are less laudatory. How long will it be before a vehicle knocks a section of it out of place? This goes for both accidents and vandalism.

Findings

People are still awaiting the publication of the magisterial inquiry into the police fatal shooting in Qormi. It is in everyone's interests that the findings are released.

Accountability

A diabetics patient who needed a life-saving operation could have succumbed to his ailment had he not make his own arrangements because the powers-that-be decided he did not qualify for assistance under the national health service. A learned judge thought otherwise and the patient has been awarded over 74,000 in damages. Will there be an inquiry? Will anybody be held accountable? Hardly!

United

Don't the trade unions think they should put their own individual house in order before they even dream of forming a trades union council? It seems this country has a case of united they collapse.