Sergio Azzopardi, Msida
Sprinkling water on roads is dangerous practice
I have been riding motorcycles all my life. My dad always had bikes and he bought his first car when my mum was pregnant with me. When I got to the age of 18 I bought my first bike and I have been riding ever since. I don't own a car, I use my motorcycle as my only means of transport; I ride to work and work to ride. There are many other people in Malta who live my lifestyle.
Many people and authorities do not consider the dangers a driver and especially a rider encounters on his daily drives/rides. I can make an endless list of dangers since most of us only consider the potholes on our road surfaces, but unfortunately as a rider I have to be more cautious as I see more dangers around.
I appeal to the authorities concerned to stop using oil-based paint on pedestrian crossings and road markings because it slips so badly. (I have travelled abroad quite a few times and never saw such thing).
The worst thing you can encounter while riding a bike is a patch of oil or diesel. Granted, some spills are accidental, but I cannot accept the fact that to keep our roundabouts and traffic islands nice and shiny we have to sprinkle water all over the road!
The use of sprinklers has to be done in a more cautious manner. We cannot have this nonsense any longer. When will it stop? When someone dies? Do the people who install and set these sprinklers have any idea of the danger they are causing?
I had the misfortune to skid due to this nonsense and besides that I damaged my bike badly. After having to spend a week in bed to recover, a few weeks after my accident I was back on the road and while riding through the Kappara roundabout I noticed gardeners on this famous landmark. I had to stop and have a word with them so perhaps they could better understand the danger they were causing. What did I get? Their answer was, what do you do if you are riding and it starts to rain?
I could not believe what they had just said. Riding in the rain is a totally different thing: You ride and you know that the road is slippery so you take extra precautions. But riding on dry roads and coming upon a huge amount of water is totally different especially when you stop and think that this is done in such a careless manner at the expense of others. Riding in bad weather conditions is one thing but creating a hazard is another.
Unfortunately we live on an island where anything goes - until someone has the misfortune of dying.
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James Green
Jul 4th 2009, 20:07
The preceeding is obviously intended for Mr Franco Farrugia's consumption.
James Green
Jul 4th 2009, 16:46
You seem to have a propensity to derail the valid contribution of concerned contributors.
I stand four square behind Sergio Azzopardi’s contribution.
The needless combination of water and slippery roads CAN be lethal, even at walking pace. Not to forget injury, uncalled for expense, and time wasting.
That you should bring speed into the fray is just mouthing parrot-like our authority’s propaganda machine exhorting people to reduce speed to cover up for their utter and complete incompetence in providing the long suffering Maltese motorist with a SAFE and adequate (high speed?) road network.
Maybe you should be exhorting some head of state to come visit these islands, blessed as they are with cart tracks, posing as ‘roads’.
This seems to get whoever is responsible for our ‘roads’ out of his Rip Van Winkle trance.
As is oft the case you have missed your target again. It is neither the singer, nor the song but the lyrics which grate. And as their author you must carry a modicum of responsibility.
And since you seem to like songs now go sing ‘Malta’s roads are cracking up, cracking up….my fair lady.
Edward Bugeja
Jul 4th 2009, 07:44
I agree totally with Sergio,s comments here, and keep in mind we are only talking about water on the roads from sprinklers. We have not even mentioned the poor quality of roads. Driving a car on the Maltese roads one hardly notice how bad the surfaces are, try driving a motorcycle......I am not one who speeds on a motorcycle believe me, especially with the road conditions. I suggest that the minister who is responsible for the road works in Malta put himself on a motorcycle and join us for a ride, then maybe he would understand what we are talking about.They have done so in England, so why not in Malta. The government says we are getting money for road works but when do we get better roads?Does it always have to be that we do something about it when someone get seriously hurt or Die to take action?
Sergio Azzopardi
Jul 3rd 2009, 20:12
@ S Risso . My article made you laugh huh ? I dont think you would say that if it happened to someone you knew . The argument in question was not about any reckless driving or riding , we have enough of that here in Malta and it comes for both car drivers and bike riders . Hope that you or anyone related to you will never encounter this problem
Franco Farrugia
Jul 3rd 2009, 18:11
@ Mr Green - While I apologise for having hopeless English and grammar (sic), I also apologise for not having realised that the topic at hand was about grammar and syntax. Funny, the degree to which people resort in order to try and counter someone's arguments. Shooting down the singer rather than the song, are we?
James Green
Jul 3rd 2009, 16:17
@ Franco Farrugia 'Motorbike drivers' are known as bikers or motorcyclists. And you ride a motorcycle not drive it. And sprinklers should sprinkle on whatever needs to be sprinkled, not on the road. Smacks of a bad setup otherwise. And does indeed cause accidents when present on our 'polished' 'roads' irrespective of speed. Besides wasting precious water, it is, by the way, also against the law. A friend's girlfriend had a nasty car skid last Saturday morning at Burmarrad following a short downpour. She was NOT speeding. Never in the history of road maintenence has so little been done by so few for so many.
Sergio Azzopardi
Jul 3rd 2009, 16:15
@ Franco Farrugia ...be realistic , stop and think ! how fast can you go round a roundabout on a motorcycle ???? i was bearly doing 20kmh !
S Risso
Jul 3rd 2009, 15:50
This article really made me laugh. Sergio, have you seen the way you people, that love motor bikes drive?? Do you realize you are the hazard on the road and not everything and everyone else? For God sake--I appeal to all bike riders, slow down and stop weaving in and out of the traffic like madmen! I don't know how many times I have had a rider pass me on either side of my car scaring the hell out of me, and I was doing the speed limit to boot. This even goes to police on motor cycles, how many time have you ever seen a motor bike travel the speed limit behind a car?? Please anyone -put your hand up. I have even seen the 4-wheelers, quads, weaving in and out of the traffic. My god, almost in every civilized country they are meant for off road--not city or highway driving. Thus my point, you can never buy a tire for a quad that is meant for highway driving - -but at least you can hear them coming!!! Just everyone, car and bike drivers, don't be in such a hurry to die, slow down.
Henry M.
Jul 3rd 2009, 15:19
Hello Sergio, as a regular motorbike user I totally agree with you. The ADT should encourage a campaign were any driver can report another vehicle spilling any diesel/fuel concrete or debris, just as we are reporting vehicles emitting heavy smoke. (Hope this suggestion will not fall on deaf ears…minister concerned please note) For the information to the general public, most of us riders are investing in softer compound tires to benefit from better grip, but still they are useless when we encounter sprinkled roads due to the fact that this is a mixture of fine dust and water, same phenomena like the first rain effect. Also custom bike riders do not have this kind of choice since most of their tire sizes are made from hard compound suitable to long distance cruising. I urge biker clubs and fraternities to come up with a petition when they organize club events and rides.
Charmaine Galea
Jul 3rd 2009, 14:54
@ Mr Sergio Azzopardi
And thank heavens you didn't damage any other vehicle when you skidded or you'd be left with a hefty sum of damages to fork out of your own pocket!
Last year while driving my car, a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction skidded on a puddle of diesel and damaged my car. Fortunately his injuries were not serious. He lodged a claim so that his insurance company pays me, as the third-party, for damages sustained.
After months of passing round the buck, red tape and tens of phone calls - the insurance company informed me that I won't be reimbursed because "cases concerning skidding, whether on water, oil, diesel or anything else, are not the motorcyclists's fault" hence as an insurance company aren't obliged to pay the innocent 3rd party like me.
Reassuring, huh?
Franco Farrugia
Jul 3rd 2009, 11:58
@ Pauline Farrugia - The point I am trying to make, dear lady, is the fact that motorbike drivers must be much more prudent than car drivers because if anything goes amiss, and an accident occurs, in my opinion, a motorbike driver would be much worse off for wear, whereas a car driver has the whole car around him to protect him. And I do not consider 'sprinklers' as 'nonsense. I think slowing down vehicular speed, in general, would be a much better way to observe security on the roads than stopping the 'sprinklers'.
M.Gauci
Jul 3rd 2009, 11:19
I agree with Mr. Sergio Azzopardi.
I do not own a bike, however even with my car I have skidded because the sprinkler system that waters the turf, going towards the St. Venera tunnels, sprinkle some of the water onto the inner lane road and worse still, this is at a bend, past the now defunct, satellite showroom premises. Crazy!
Of couse being on two wheels makes things worse.
Diesel patches, real killers. I've done 180 deg turns on Aldo Moro road -Marsa, because of diesel patches, with my car ! Can you imagine loosing control and making a 180 deg turn on a 4 lane, quasi motor way ? I was lucky not to have caused a major car heap.
Another disaster waiting to happen is the center strip bushes - some quite high, on the bend leading to St. Venera tunnel coming from Aldo moro road, the ones in front of some large showroom. These bushes prevent you from seeing any traffic that has stopped or car breakdowns (and this on the outer lane where traffic zots off like a speeding cheetah), suddenly you see a parked car due to a breakdown (WHEN ITS TOO LATE TO STOP!).
James Green
Jul 3rd 2009, 10:24
Whoever is responsible for local road construction needs to pop over to Sicily on a bike and compare their road surfaces to ours. The difference is like chalk and cheese.
Regarding road construction/maintenance or lack thereof, we seem to save a penny and then end up spending a pound when someone is injured or worse pays the ultimate price for this glaring omission.
Just a few months ago we had a Traffic Policeman in intensive care, due to a skid on a road notorious for its total lack of grip.
Another penalty point for not clearing the gravel which invariably accumulates near roundabouts and junctions in summer and only get cleared and cleaned when the Almighty decides to turn on the taps.
Penalty points also for those kind concrete mixer drivers whose irresponsibility is leaving a trail of permanent concrete fungus all over the place.
Would some kind responsible soul furnish us with the friction coefficient of a DRY Maltese 'road' and that of a typical European one when WET.
All together now, to the rhyme of ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ let’s all sing ‘Malta’s roads are cracking up’
Pauline Farrugia
Jul 3rd 2009, 10:13
I totally agree with you Sergio. The sprinklers in roundabouts and central strips need to be properly aligned. I have even had an experience or two skidding in my car in summer because of these sudden patches of water on otherwise hot dry roads.
@Franco Farrugia
Let's not get into the merits of how some people drive as an excuse to ignore road dangers. I see plenty of cars who indulge in dangerous driving escapades; does that mean we should ignore safety measures for cars on the road because of these few who ignore road safety? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!
Franco Farrugia
Jul 3rd 2009, 09:43
I have the greatest respect for motor-bikers. I used to be one myself.
However, from the way I see many bikers driving, I do not get the feeling that it's so dangerous to drive, do you?