On May 13 this year, I was parked near Sarria church to attend a meeting at an Education annexe centre.
On proceeding to Triq l-Assedju l-Kbir after the meeting to go home, I did not notice the No Right Turn sign probably due to lack of concentration after attending the meeting. Rightly so I was stopped by a traffic policeman near the petrol station in front of the Floriana car park and, obviously, I was given the notice of contravention.
I tried to pay the fine the day after at my local council but I was informed that their data was not yet updated and so I turned up and eventually paid my fine of €23.29 on May 19. So far, so good. I even renewed my car licence without any problems.
Some time in July, during lunchtime, a man in a hired car rang the bell and informed me that I had to sign a receipt of a notice to appear in front of the Commissioner of Justice (Valletta Local Tribunal) for a contravention given to me in Floriana. I checked the notice and found that it was the same street and the same date. I explained that I already paid the fine and the man simply told me to ignore it.
On September 1, I received a notice from the Floriana local council to pay a fine of €35 imposed by the Valletta Local Tribunal. I phoned up the Floriana local council and the secretary informed me that I had two contravention notices in the same street but at different times! On checking the times I found out that it was true! I was given one at 4.57 p.m. and another one three minutes later, at 5 p.m.! Unbelievable!
The secretary was of no help, either. She told me she was not present with the policeman and that I could have repeated the offence. To be given the same contravention I would have had to proceed to Spencer monument roundabout, via St Anne Street through Portes des Bombes up to Anton Buttigieg monument in Blata l-Bajda, back to Portes des Bombes, Sarria church and to the Floriana car park.
Were I driving a Formula One car without all the traffic lights I would have done it in under three minutes!
Moreover, now I found out that I paid the 5 p.m. fine but not the 4.57 p.m. one.
Is this a human error or is the system used by the police outdated or are we being taken for a ride?
Why all the hassle now to write to the Board of Petitions when the mistake was from the authority's end?