The Times last week counted 124 potholes in Sliema Road, San Ġwann and asked readers: Is this the worst road in Malta? The comments rolled in, with countless roads being nominated for the title. Based on the feedback received, Christian Peregin lists the Top 10.

10. The promenade from Gzira to Sliema
9. The road between Marsa and Qormi next to the Turkish Cemetry
8. Mosta Road, between Lija and Naxxar
7. Tarxien Road, Gudja
6. Valley Road, Birkirkara
5. All the way from Naxxar to San Gwann
4. Il-Qortin Road, Mellieha
3. Zurrieq (Hal Far Road and Valletta Road)
2. Marsascala Bypass
1. Sliema Road, San Gwann

Although competition was stiff, Sliema Road kept its dubious honour, followed closely by the Marsascala bypass. However, many said that the roads are all equally bad and that the trophy should go to Malta as a whole.

Thankfully, the government seems to have taken notice and works are underway to resurface rather than simply patch most of these roads.

Works began yesterday on Sliema Road and Transport Minister Austin Gatt confirmed that the road to Marsascala will be rebuilt.

But budgets are limited and even small roads are only being done half way. The mayor of San Ġwann, Renè Savona Ventura, said that a road of less than 500 metres, like the one that tops the list, costs about €100,000 to be resurfaced totally.

He said the local council, which has to fix the infinite number of potholes all around the town, can never afford such a cost and must therefore negotiate with the government for assistance.

Despite many pre-electoral promises to redo Sliema Road, the best deal the local council could strike was for the government to add €25,000 to their €28,000 budget and resurface a bit more than half of it.

"I totally agree, we deserved the trophy. But the council just doesn't have the kind of money such works need to be done properly. We've already spent a lot on major patching around the town. Obviously, this cuts into our budgets for other things," Mr Savona Ventura said.

Meanwhile, many readers have asked whether they can get compensation for damages to their cars as a result of potholes.

Last year, the courts ordered the Valletta local council to pay over €2,000 to a man who claimed he had an accident as a result of a damaged road, the Jews Sally Port road, which had not been properly maintained. The hole in question developed after part of the road caved in a week before the accident.

The court decided that, since the council had not taken timely action to repair the road, it had to pay damages to Mr Grixti.

The question of compensation has also reached Facebook on a group called Fix Malta's Roads, which has been subscribed by over 2,300 people.

"If this goes to the courts, or if a fatal accident or permanent major injury is, for the first time in history, put on the government by the courts to compensate heavily... and everyone starts doing that down to the smallest dent on a rim or a damaged shock absorber, do you think that the government would then continue to afford to leave the roads in the dangerous, scandalous, incredible 18th century, careless, disgusting state they have always been in," a member of the group asked.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com