Roundabout and traffic island sprinklers worry motorists

G. Caruana

Aug 30th 2010, 22:10

I skidded around that bend at around 4 am as well and completly tore a tyre. Damage: €60. So apart from putting lifes at risk, you also end up losing money.

S.Azzopardi

Aug 30th 2010, 15:44

@ S. Mizzi , C Galea and specially Dr Cuschieri ,,,, I was injured badly after my bike skidded thanks to ELC and its incompetence to install sprinklers , NO IT IS NOT LIKE WHEN IT RAINS ! The dry then wet then dry effect on tires is totally different , when it rains the tire tread has a constant flow of water in its ridges .The sprinklers should sprinkle water were they should not on the road .

I have been all over Europe and never saw such incompetence , its like having traps here in Malta , shiny roads , then avoid the potholes then be careful for road markings (stop signs , zebra crossings ect ect ) since they slip and to add insult to injury ELC sprinkles water on our cheap shiny tarmac on bends and roundabouts .

Is ELC doing this on purpose ? because these sprinklers all seem to be located on bends and roundabouts .Shame on you Dr Cuschieri !

F. Balzan

Aug 30th 2010, 10:40

kull roundabout daqs dinja. Ahjar jizrawhom bil-patata u jqassmuhom lin-nies. Iddum snin tiekol il-patata b'xejn. Ghall-inqas ikunu ta uzu hlief jiehdu l-ispazju bzonnjuz ghat-traffik ta Malta li iktar ma jmur dejjem jizdied. Ahjar sett lights flok dawn ir-roundabouts. Ma nafx min hu il-perit eccellenti li qed jippjana it-toroq ta Malta. Gabhom nightmare ghad-drivers.

S. Balzan

Aug 30th 2010, 10:31

In my opinion sprinklers are not adjusted and co-ordinated according to the area they sprinkle. Some days ago I was passing from Blata il-Bajda and the sprinklers in the roundabout not only sprinkled the vegetation but also my whole car. It may be funny but my windscreen was suddenly all full of water leaving poor visualisation. I had to stop and clean the windows because I couldn't drive. They should be adjusted not to sprinkle outside the roundabout otherwise, they can use pipes on the ground with water coming out from prepared wholes.

Denis Bartolo

Aug 30th 2010, 07:16

It is the poor or rather non exsistent non skid value of the road surface that is at fault.
Will the roads department please let us know what it is in this particular area ??

Katinka Zahra Lehtonen

Aug 30th 2010, 02:02

This roundabout has been a hazard for quite a few years, I myself ended up skidding twice with my scooter, once at night and luckily there were no cars, and another time in the morning, that was even worse because of the sheer amount of cars passing through there at the time. I was lucky enough to be passing on the outer perimiter of the road and got help imediately from passers by...

J. Pace

Aug 30th 2010, 00:41

The few sprinklers that I notice, I always see them at the edge of the roundabout. Haz-Zebbug, the one where the gate is, is a case in point.

Why they are placed at the edge of the road? Then when rotating they are washing the street, and I noticed that the grass and flowers in the middle of the round about are not being watered!

The guy that implemented these sprinklers has a very high IQ, a great mathematician I should say!

Just drive slowly, this was the advise and the solution since apparently no one is ready to take any responsibility and fix the problem.

marthese.grech

Aug 29th 2010, 15:06

Early this morning at around 5.15 i was driving towards hal far from birzebbugia and near the freeport there is a similar roundabout that it sprinkles water from it. when i was passing nearby the road was very slippery and i lost control. Someone has to do something before a series accident happen.

r.cutajar

Aug 29th 2010, 14:16

Further Observations; thev photoe shows an exit gate for vehicles and whatever and it is situated in a very very peculiar and dangerouse spot There should be proper traffic control by some body whene this gate is to be used!!!! AND listen to this just under the pavent there is always a makeshift sort of big wooden plank to act as a "step" for vehicles'wheels and tyres !this will eventually lead to an accident in the future for SURE

AND could this"PAPER "SEND A PHOTOGRAPHER AND SHOW TO JOE AND MARY PUBLIC why on earth has the powers that be planted danglers and creepers all along the stretch of road from the roundabout up that road leading to opposite the kappara petrol station!!!
SHAMEFULLY this is a CHEAP WAY to conceal a dangerouse condition ofthe retaining walls !
Mind you
danger looms as from the PL CLUB at Msida all along !!!!!
Can any one imagin a traffic jam along that stretch and a wall collapses unnexpectedly ?
LOOK UP WHEN YOU ARE STUCK IN TRAFFIC and wonder how preventive maitenance is defined in these ISLANDS !!!???

O.grixti

Aug 29th 2010, 13:41

Many roundabouts have this type of problem.
To all experts and Doctors, wake up and be realistic in your comments in this article! We are suffering from this problem.
From a dry road to a slippery one (not worse than it have rained), in a split of a sec, makes a big difference.

S. Mizzi

Aug 29th 2010, 13:36

Meta taghmel xita mhux jekk wkoll !!! ghaliex kummenti fil-vojt...... Imma ahjar speed zejd hazin ????? ......

Joe Fenech

Aug 29th 2010, 13:19

The problem is the 'garden' roundabouts. They are DEADLY BLIND-SPOTS !!!!

Adrian Grech

Aug 29th 2010, 10:13

about time li xi hadt jamel xi haga jiena kont ilni li skidjat il fuq min hames snien .

N. Schembri

Aug 29th 2010, 08:52

Same happens every morning at Freeport entrance roundabout. It is very dangerous for motorcyclists. Speaking from my own experience.

r.cutajar

Aug 29th 2010, 07:56

Dear Dr . Cuschieri ,could you please note very ---
Now just imagine this ; the driver knows the Adhesion vehicle limits in the dry conditions that are present at that point of the journey wheather the driver ,Suddenly that Limit Is Reduced drastically around a great Negative Camber Roundabout -------the perfect cocktail for a nasty accident
Sorry over here is not the right place to reason out things as one rasily cannot get the true picture and I am rather disturbed when one rads from experts on the subject that instead of giving their expert opinion of the subject they simply stay Gallarija and quote Law
.As experts they should condemn these sprinklers wrong usage
Please do not suggest that people should drive within the speed limits etc,etc,etc or the silly of them all "one should approach roundabouts so as to consider watery slipping conditions allthe time
!The Association Of Insurances should step in and advice accordingly or- it is OK to leave accidents on the rise, ever rising premiums and Victims of such blatant IRRESPONSABILITY and SHORTSIGHTEDNESS
great liability especially novice drivers and Tourists alike And at such a place and hours of the day / night !!!

r.cutajar

Aug 29th 2010, 07:35

Dear Dr . Cuschieri ,could you please note very Carefully .
a)-Only in theory and considering same conditions can one say that things are thesame vis a vis rain and sprinklers as used here !-THESE CONDITIONS ARE VERY DANGEROUSE and should be carefully controlled so as to eliminate ANY water from road .
Dr Cuschieri ,when it is raining a driver is using the road in that condition all along and the dynamics at hand are constantly felt all along the journey and also very importantly the amount of water when it rains is crucial to the ratio / amount of dust and other traffic film especially tiny of thousands of oil dropping from motor vehicles which are present -all this plays very crucially ie; wheather the rain is at the very start of a season or well into the season location ,dusty or not how long and the intensity of the rain etc.
Dr Cuschieri I presume you do NOT drive and Sorry if you do, you know that you are wrong
A driver is constantly imputing information and executing driving commands and techniques to his / her vehicle on what he / she is subconciously feeling -cont

James Wightman

Aug 28th 2010, 22:07

Clearly water from sprinklers can be miss-directed or deposited by wind on the carriageway. It is localised and therefore can catch an unwary driver out - the issue is it is unexpected but judging from the comments by ELC possibly an intentioned yet unfortunate outcome. Sadly there are other offenders dropping water regularly onto this roundabout. However as ELC's occupational hazard effects the public, one must ask, was a suitable and sufficient risk assessment done and in light of the above will it be updated? Given that ELC recognise it as a problem is it not reasonable for them to address it?

Come on Malta stop being short changed by spin!

The Kappara roundabout in particular is also subject to an adverse camber (heading towards Valletta) I had to droppd my bike on a group ride once when a rider infront of me slipped over. The road was wet and we were negotiating it at roughly walking pace so the drive slower brigade may find they are back to driving with a guy with a red flag walking in front pretty soon.

Surely in view of the above the Kappara roundabout needs special treatment by ELC and the authorities.

C Galea

Aug 28th 2010, 19:16

Why do we have to crticize everything made in Malta? It is very simple. Never negotiate a roundabout at more than 20 Km p.h. Even more when it is rainy or at an incline. The roundabouts in Malta are the good things that ever happened. It is a pity that they are now introducing dry landscaping with colored spalls and cactii for the lush flowery colour full and green turf. Perhaps it is cheaper to maintain. The difference between the Kappara roundabout above and the one at the new Zurrieq road is quite evident. ELC should not sacrifice the beauty of greenery because of a little water sprinkling on the road at night, although a 1 meter buffer around the edge makes sense. Drivers,,,please just be careful.

b.Attard

Aug 28th 2010, 19:00

Water is free of charge for the Freeport Roundabout Birzebbugia. More water on the street then sprinkling the vegetation.

Kenneth Zammit

Aug 28th 2010, 18:26

''Dr Cuschieri denied that the volume of water flowing onto the road was substantial or that this created a problem in the area.''

The sprinklers are simply aimed in the WRONG direction and this needs to be fixed!!

There is also a large amount of water being wasted as can be seen clearly in the picture on the left hand side, the sprinklers are placed on the EDGE of the roundabout aimed at the road, (they rotate 360 degrees) rather than being placed on the inner part of the roundabout at the exact distance where the water can land JUST BEFORE the edge, doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out does it?


Maltese workmanship and troubleshooting at it's best!!

A Abela

Aug 28th 2010, 18:15

I have been using this road at night for years. Since the embellishing programme started, and this problem begun, I pay more attention when going down. But unluckily I cannot say the same about other drivers, who speed up because they find a stretch of down-road. I insist that the main problem is speed. The only solution is to put speed cameras all over this stretch of road so that always-in-a-hurry drivers are calmed down. And I would also suggest that a driver breaching speed limits for more than 3 times, would have his licence suspended for some months. SPEED KILLS. SPEED KILLS. SPEED KILLS.

Dunstan Crockford

Aug 28th 2010, 16:44

What an Island this is....nothing seems to be done correctly and we all smile on!! The government,Central and Local should put their act togethter.We have had enough ,paid through our noses,and all they do is pose to unveil some daft plaque and invite the usual few for drinks!Some Mayors are well known for getting their freebies at restaurants!!!
Politics has become fithy!!!and we have no choice!and if you lose your seat...or remit as a minister...you get a handshake!!!or become a High Comissioner!!!
Smart Island...mhux hekk!!

Karen Zammit Manduca

Aug 28th 2010, 16:37

"a housewife throwing water into the street during washing up could expose herself to action in court"........ quite right, but unfortunately this does not apply to all and I speak from experience. There are some who simply do not care and think they are above the law! Funnily enough, even being fined did not work as a simple letter cleared the charges. Ermmmm....here I am not only referring to "some" water, but gallons of it several times a week, filled with bleach, dettol and other cleaning materials, discharged from a balcony and splashing indiscriminately onto the pavement (now broken where the water falls) and the road and onto any cars parked below and around.

l fenech

Aug 28th 2010, 16:29

M'hemmx ghaggla, l-ewwel isisr xi incident fatali u wara nirrangaw is-sitwazzjoni jekk hawn xi hadd mohhu itiegh.

Jean Paul Galea

Aug 28th 2010, 16:18

The elc management should check what their employees are doing. The problem with the water is that there are sprinklers facing the wrong direction. A simple check would make the management realise that. I have been going through there at least for 3 times a week from since the roundabout was embellished and this was always the case. Going up further toward hamrun where there is another area covered with lawn you have to take care not to have the window open when the sprinklers are on ... the sprinklers are facing the road. This makes the road very dangers apart from the very bad road conditions.

E. Lentini

Aug 28th 2010, 15:59

Firstly, I would like to say that the roundabouts are looking very good and the effort to keep them neat is pretty obvious.

But one thing I must say. We are all good at talking crap. We are so good that we aren't even capable of planning an irrigation system on a roundabout. It's all about sense. I am 100% sure that if planned properly with the required drainage system, and with the buffer zone as mentioned in the article the water will not pour on our already slippery when dry roads. Come on. We can't plan a roundabout the way it should be. Kollox bit-qanzih insomma. Kullhadd jack of all trades imma master of none f'dan il-pajjiz.

Steve Zammit

Aug 28th 2010, 15:28

Wow...what a waste of water. We were told that water is a scarce resoure on our tiny island and yet so much is used to water our roundabouts and then all that water ends up in our roads!

Another example of what a wasteful and unsustainable country we are all living in...we really should know better!

J Azzopardi

Aug 28th 2010, 14:47

some water would never make a good road slippery.. the problems are the roads, not the water!

M Saliba

Aug 28th 2010, 14:36

The sprinkers should be operated during the day and not during the night, so that drivers can easily notice the water.

Max farrugia

Aug 28th 2010, 14:35

wahda mill-affarijiet li Transport Malta trid tiehu hsieb huma it-traffic bollards li hawn niqsa quddiem it-traffic Islands. Numru kbir , madwar 40 huwa mitfija, oħrajn gew milquta u jinsabu imkisra fil-post u oħrajn tnehhew wara xi incident u ma sarux mill-gdid. Jiena mhux darba u tnejn ghamilt rapport lit-trasport Malta u ndikajt fejn jinsabu izda hadd ma ha passi issa qtajt qalbi li nkompli ncempel u naghmel rapporti ghal xejn. Nuqqas ta dawl li jindika traffic island huwa ta periklu kbir mod specjali bil-lejl. Transport Malta take note and save lives please

Andrew Cumbo

Aug 28th 2010, 14:17

The same picture I see every morning driving by the roundabout in B’Bugia, exactly near Freeport. Sprinklers have been watering the road and not the roundabout itself for a long time now, and nobody takes action.

D Delia

Aug 28th 2010, 14:15

We are told again and again that water is a scarce resource on this island. Watering roundabouts is a waste. They are watered all the year round even during the rainy season. Keeping roundabouts clean and tidy does necessarily mean keeping them green and flowering. We can be more creative than just imitating the northern countries.

Timmy Farrugia

Aug 28th 2010, 13:46

wow abt time!!! cars have been slipping here for years!!!!

N.Pace

Aug 28th 2010, 13:39

I would like to make a few sensible comments regarding this article.

i) I have been driving for the past 26 years and never skidded on clean water except for once when I was still very young and could not afford to change or have the proper people to inspect my tires.

ii) Can I ask where one is supposed to discharge the clean rain water after my 21X20 foot well is full? Certainly not in the drain, maybe drink it?

ALC keep on doing your good job, as most people love the greenery all over our Islands.

Motorists drive prudently and inspect your vehicles so you would not have accidents and please do not blame the roads, they where much worse.

M Muscat

Aug 28th 2010, 13:30

So Dr Cushieri, veru meta tamel ix xita it triq tkun iktar perikoluza. it tarmac ta malta, xita u mhux xita ileqq ikun, ma nafx il ala!?

Mela alfej fis sajf jien bhala sewwiq andi insib xorta wahda mil-iktar toroq li jizolqu fmalta imzarba bix da kollu emm palma tejx? Fkelma wahda tipreferi palma tejx mili tnejn jinfaqaw u imutu?

Tinsewx, ftit metri (ax ek metri) em cint li andu zmien fuqu ma nafx kemm, ili ekk tifqaw tispica madwar 5sulari lisfel al go triq ohra! Tajjeb hafna! Veru qed nhossni safe bmin qed imexini!

Proset Dr!!!


META HA NIFQU INPARLAW FIL VOJT AHNA IL MALTIN U VERU INQUMU FUQ SAQAJNA U NORUWOM L DAW?

Charles Sammut

Aug 28th 2010, 13:28

The authorities know very well that the local agreggate used to make asphalt is of poor quality. It is soft and porous and not suited for road building. However it comes from local quarries and the owners of these quarries are a force to be reckoned with when the time comes for 'political party donations'.

There does exist a quantity of good quality aggregate suitable for road building. But it is not used on public roads. It is used on the airport runway. You see, runways have to be tested with a Mu-meter (coefficient of friction meater) regularly and unless the standard is not maintained, the airport is closed. But it seems that while E.U. laws, regulations, directives, standards and recommendations are stuffed down our throats at every opportunity, this only applies when it is the public who has to conform. The Governement and authorities are exempt.

Here's a cache of proper aggregate secreted in an out of the way quarry:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh155/calypsophotos/aggregate.jpg

Deo Catania

Aug 28th 2010, 13:26

because of these srupid nonsense sprinklers and even bowsers watering roundabouts you ca't keep a car clean for a week. This Cuschieri has no idea whatsoever.

Dori Sciberras

Aug 28th 2010, 13:13

Have any of you ever drove in the UK? Ok you might have toooooooo many holes and surfaces are not up to standard, but believe me it's not just you. When we had snow in the UK a few months ago, we couldn't even get our cars out of our drive, roads were deserted and only the brave went to work by car. When it rains, most areas are flooded and the traffic comes to a stand still, so please stop moaning, its not just Malta. Who ever drives a car or a motorcycle or a truck or whatever should know that when road surfaces are wet etc, you have to drive slowly and please falling off your bike not ones but twice an three times ....... SORRY but or you are a crap driver or you defenately must be speeding OR, are you by any chance one of those that forge an MOT certificate and your tyres are never checked?
Come over to the UK and see if you fall off your bike when it rains and then go and complain to the local council!!! Please!!!
The same problems are everywhere else not just Malta, you complain to much!!!

G. Fenech

Aug 28th 2010, 12:48

Its not the water thats the problem, its the blu-tak that we call tarmac that is the problem. Water on the streets or not, they still shine, which means that they are smooth, which means that they have zero grip. When you think about it, no one changes his / her tyres on their cars because they have been eaten through, but instead we have to change tyres as we smash them on the pothole edges.

This is a problem that has needed addressing for years, but instead, we still put sub standard goo that gets displaced by the weight of vehicles driving across it every day.

Dont stop the watering of the roundabouts, we need all the green we can get, but instead lets have some real asphalt placed on the road.

martin saliba

Aug 28th 2010, 12:46

" According to law, no one was allowed to throw anything onto the road, even though this provision was not always enforced, Dr Micallef Stafrace said. " But will the law be inforced in a civil law suit ? The first thing that i would ask if i have an accident BECAUSE of water on the road ,that has not fallen from the sky , is who am i to sue. These sprinklers should be removed and an irrigation system installed.

John Micallef

Aug 28th 2010, 12:39

Dr Cuschiri, i suggest you join the PN Mp's in the next ellection. As it seems you are one of those that first brain wash your mind & what is a well know problem you say it's not.

I guess you will continue to play this tune, until someone that is insured as fully comprehensive crashes because of this water & you will get a nice bill from his insurance or a law sute!! Unless your contract put the government to pay. As with the jugglings in the terms in the public contracts signed recently it will be no wonder.

X'nimxu l-quddiem f'dan il- pajjiz, b'nies li jmerru is-sewwa mgharuf!!

gcForte

Aug 28th 2010, 12:36

Will you please stop moaning.........I had the chance to wash my car at all free, including the water. I urge the authorities to put some car shampoo and a chamois leather. Thank you in advance.

Andrew B. Gatt

Aug 28th 2010, 12:21

@ Cedric Vella - you said you skidded once, twice, thrice. Do no ever drive in the UK. It rains every day.

Joseph Buhagiar

Aug 28th 2010, 12:14

The same problem applies to the Mdina Road roundabout. Not good news form motorcycle riders at 5am.The small amount of water run off from the rounabout on to the road surface combined with the dust that accumates on the road surface DOES effect the grip of a motor cycle 'bending' while going around a roundabout at normal speeds. Conclusion:- Accidents waiting to happen.

Paul Cirillo

Aug 28th 2010, 12:08

The same happens almost every day near Castille Roundabout, Valletta Employees of ELC water the roundabout and you can see water going all the way down Triq Gilormu Cassar. One day two employees of ADT were driving up with their motor cycle and they were driving very slowly due to the water coming down. I stopped them to inform them of this driving hazard. Their reply was that they have nothing to do with it and I had to inform the Valletta Local Council ! I was surprised with their comment as I think that ADT employees should check on road safety.

Charles Zammit

Aug 28th 2010, 12:07

These peoples prayers must have been answered seeing we have had no rain for such a long time , good job too as i would make roads unsafe may the lack of rain continue !!!!!!!

Alex Ehrhardt

Aug 28th 2010, 12:04

Dr Cuschieri is insisting that we loose control of our bikes cause of speeding,
And not cause of the water sprinklers, then I'll be happy to invite him to be a passenger on my bike for a day and show him how dangerous those sprinklers are and also the rest of our roads and traffic

O.Grixti

Aug 28th 2010, 11:57

@ Dr Cuschieri

I am a biker and I use my bike mostly in summer as it don’t rain, or in fine weather during the winter, i.e. I don not ride my bike during the rain, as I know we have very slipper roads.
“The irrigation do not make more water that it haves during a rainy day” your comment.

So tell me this, what about a biker riding his bike in fine weather, than when coming to a roundabout we find water and skidding?? Is this ok for you? Does this make sense?? Don’t comment that we go fast, when approaching a round about you have to be mad to go fast.. We skid because of this water!! Just make irrigation and not sprinklers, that it sprays water on the road when it is windy etc. Please Respect motorists!

Duncan Scerri

Aug 28th 2010, 11:54

The problem is not the water, but the criminally poor quality of the road surface materials. Had this government of all these years ensured that correct standards were employed in the construction of the road surfaces around the islands, we'd have fewer accidents and fatalities.

Danika Vella

Aug 28th 2010, 11:53

Yet another example of waste!

C Cassar

Aug 28th 2010, 11:52

Surely any driver should be looking at the road ahead and assesing the condistions of that road? Therefore when the road surface is seen to change, the appropriate way of driving should also take this into account. In other words, slow down and drive in a manner that are appropraiet to the road conditions. There is no excuse.

As for Cedric Vella who keeps falling off his scooter, well it sounds like he really needs to take some professional traing in how to handle a two wheeled motorised bike on a road. It's not diesel but water, so speed and condition of tyres is paramount. If these two factors are in order, no accident will happen.

M.Anastasi

Aug 28th 2010, 11:11

'' the volume of water involved does not make the road more slippery than when it rains,” he insisted. “The truth is those who complain are in many instances speeding more than they should.''

But it's not raining in mid August is it?
Or shall we slow down & assume it's raining all over Malta the day you need to water your roundabout?
Why don't you try riding a motorbike from dry to wet in a bend & tell us what happenes.

Mario Tabone-Vassallo

Aug 28th 2010, 10:34

Ezempju tajjeb biex il-poplu jibza' ghall-ilma! Basta lahhqu direttur apposta biex jghallem dan. L-ahjar taghlim bl-ezempju u f'Malta dan donnu sikwit hazin u f'kollox