Tony Zammit Cutajar, Lija
A plea on behalf of Maltese motorists (1)
The only time I visited Ireland, the country had just joined the European Union. Besides Ireland's awesome natural beauty, I was struck by the number of billboards up and down the country informing all and sundry that the roads we were travelling on had been reconstructed, resurfaced or whatever with the assistance of funds received from the EU.
When I, together with the majority of the Maltese nation, voted in favour of Malta's entry into the EU in 2004, one of the many things I assumed I would benefit from was a dramatic improvement in the quality of our road network. Alas with hand on heart I can only say that the situation has worsened over the past four years.
Other than a few new arterial roads (which I must admit have, in fact, been reconstructed to a good standard) the rest of our road network is in a disastrous condition.
I have travelled to most of the EU countries including the newer and poorer entrants and nowhere have I encountered roads like ours. Would anybody like to challenge that statement?
If there was a contest for the EU country with the most potholes (especially after a few inches of rainfall), rather than the "un point" we achieved in the song contest, we would have won the pothole competition hands down with maximum votes and every year!
Is this situation ever going to change? To rub salt into the wound or as the Italians say sopra corna bastonate, the Maltese motorist is burdened with what is probably the highest vehicle tax regime in Europe that obviously makes our cars amongst the most expensive across the 25 states.
I know that the tax levied on motor vehicles is one of the major sources of government revenue. Even if one is to accept the argument that tax revenue has to come from somewhere, then surely it is not unreasonable to demand the "luxury" of driving our cars on roads that are not riddled with potholes and all sorts of structural deformations.
It is no wonder that our cars are near a total write-off after five or six years of use.
The unnecessary damage caused to our vehicles is also an additional "tax" being borne by the Maltese motorist.
I understand that Malta has available €850 million in EU structural funds. How much of this considerable sum is to be spent on the road network?
There is a provision of €10.4 million for road works in the 2009 financial estimates.
I presume that this is only the net contribution by the Maltese Exchequer and does not include funds to be received from the EU.
This sum is a pittance considering the appalling condition of our roads.
If, on the other hand, that is the total amount to be spent, then we are just kidding ourselves. Bringing the roads up to acceptable standards, and I stress the word acceptable rather than best of class, will involve the expenditure of at least 10 times that figure!
Rather than delaying or postponing the payment of utility bills as some seem to be advocating, I believe the Maltese consumer would be morally justified in refusing to pay more road tax until acceptable assurances are forthcoming from the government that our road network will, in its entirety, be brought up to scratch over a reasonable period of time.
Popular Stories
In Discussion
17 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Johnny Smith
Jan 30th 2009, 19:37
I came recently to Malta and saw these holes, and also watched the workers doing the cold tarmac on your roads. Then when this was laid on your road, no roller passed or pressed the cold tarmac. Then after the rains that arrived within two weeks, the patched parts became again a much bigger hole.
Is anyone responsible to supervice such works, and if this work is not being done as it is done in my country (Rome Italy) then your workers would be held responsible for all this wastages in material and larger expencies on the Maltese Government.
Barrie Smith&my better half.
Jan 29th 2009, 12:41
Dangerous pot holes in Malta and Gozo is one thing, but what about the bad pavements and shubby uprooted tiles? When we visited Victoria Gozo my wife fell twice and twisted her ankle in different places on two seperate occasions,ended up in a local Hospice,(we won't go further in the state of the art hospice)however locals told us to complain to the local council to who ever was & is in charge in Gozo, to our surprise -no comment and no answer plus no sympathy except tough luck madam! the answer was always >This is Gozo> now if this is the kind of treatment we expect from the Gozitans and the Maltese then you won't see us here again for Adam and we'll make sure our friends will get to know the situation. we said to them if you decided to take a trip to Malta and its sister island make sure you have a good insurance as nobody seems to take any notice and is like talking to deaf ears.Unless a fiver (or a 10 euro note)is dangled infront of their noses Disgusted tourist from the UK.
Albert Bezzina
Jan 28th 2009, 21:15
We need a Motorists' Association to show strength in a unified body to get at least some value for the the €200 million the Government nets from motoring related revenue EVERY YEAR.
The road and street system in Malta is crumbling at an ever increasing rate now. The usual rate of road resurfacing and maintainance has become ineffctive and the whole situation is snow balling. Small car purchases being encouraged with lower (not low) taxes could be swallowed up by a single pothole or rip off a whole suspenstion arm and wheel
It's Minister Gatt' turn to be 'scandilized' by the state of our roads. But that would blame the privilaged road builders.
Mario Spiteri
Jan 28th 2009, 18:45
Why all these complaints! Surely everyone must have missed the point that such craters are being left uncovered on purpose so that they can be used as water reservoirs and so we can switch off the reverse osmosis plants!
Peter Murray
Jan 28th 2009, 18:22
Why is it that we always find the time-and the finances- not to do things properly in the first instance-not an accusation solely confined to filling in the craters on our roads I may add-but we always find the time and the money to do the same things all over again in rapid succession?My father taught me many things but the one over-riding memory of his advice was that if you buy or do things cheaply,you are condemned to repeat this error very soon.IT IS A FALSE ECONOMY.In any event,does the state of our roads really matter?As where we are heading -we won't need any!
Ronnie Gauci
Jan 28th 2009, 18:05
The roads are a disaster especially after all this rain but for the government it is as if nothing is happening. In a week I haven't seen one single pothole being repaired, not one. In the mean time many Maltese drivers are obliged to spend hundred of Euros to affect repairs.
Why don't motorists form a union into which drivers submit receipts of repairs and photos as proof and then at the end of the year the Government is sued for that sum which will go into the millions of Euros. Then we'll see if these will remain unrepaired any longer.
Roads Dept. workers must also be made accountable, if a road is not repaired decently they must be obliged to redo it on their off day.
Kevin Bonnici
Jan 28th 2009, 16:16
If the new roads were really built to acceptable standards, how come the newly built Regional Road bridge (heading towards Paceville) still floods when it rains. I remember feeling sorry that we would no longer have this unique structure when it was decided to rebuild the bridge. But the incompetent contractors/architects/consultants/etc. decided to retain this peculiarity. So much for accountability.
salvu abela
Jan 28th 2009, 15:17
What happened to those 880 MILLION Euros in EU structural funds,which 80 of them are supposed to go to Gozo, to be used between 2007 and 2012, as we all know we are all ready half way, this is 2009, maybe gonna leave them till the next General Election, " HALLI NOGHQODU NAQTEW IZ- ZIGARELLI "
Mr.James Price
Jan 28th 2009, 14:31
And the Maltese Authorities have the cheek to charge me high registration tax on my family car and to top it all up paying road tax to drive on pot holes bigger then the black holes of Culcutta.
Is this a joke or what or at least we think it is at our expense no doubt. What the hell do the Maltese raod workers use to tarmac the roads with .. GLUE? what a load of rubbish, my vehicle's shock absorbers will last a lot longer driving in the outback of Australia then the little mouse that roars. LOL (Laugh Out Loud). J.Price. retired gentle Englishman.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 28th 2009, 14:25
"Other than a few new arterial roads (which I must admit have, in fact, been reconstructed to a good standard) the rest of our road network is in a disastrous condition."
Sorry Mr Cutajar but looks like you don't know much about construction. The wavy paths of the previous roads can still be felt on the 'new' roads. This is the citizens' money, and it had to be spent better!!!
Stephen Sammut Nurminen
Jan 28th 2009, 12:44
Well said Mr Zammit Cutajar.
I totaly agree, our roads are a disgrace!
Who pays for our time/money dedicated to changing flat tires?
Who pays for the damage caused to our vehicles when one is unlucky enough to encounter a crater that belongs on the moon?
However, what if someone is not so 'fortunate' and in the course of trying to avoid a pot hole, has a head on collision with another vehicle?
Why must history keep repeating itself over and over again?
Maybe, the ministers' drivers should take the day off, then I'm sure our roads will be bumpy no more.
Charles Sammut
Jan 28th 2009, 12:03
The €10.4 will be spent on the purchase of 1 million warning signs to be fixed before each pothole.
A slalom driving session will be included in the driving test.
I M Dingli
Jan 28th 2009, 11:14
Dream on!!
Graham Holme
Jan 28th 2009, 10:53
@ Mr Zammit
Problem solved,instead of filling the potholes in,warning signs are to be ercted.
Beware,pot hole 100 yards ahead
The mind boggles
Kenneth Cassar
Jan 28th 2009, 10:50
Seeing the state of our roads, there is only one word to describe the government's collection of road-tax: extortion.
TRW O;Neill
Jan 28th 2009, 10:45
Again I ask , how about an organised protest walk in Valletta about the appauling state of the roads in Malta? Is there really a Minister of roads in Malta? If so what does he do all day? Certainly nothing to do with roads.. thousanmds would turn out for a protest, then maybe the Gov't would heed the complaints.
James Green
Jan 28th 2009, 10:36
Hear hear!
What cost one life lost due to 'loss of control' caused by bad 'roads'?