Denis C. Mifsud, Sliema
The VRT test is failing its purpose
The charade of VRT testing must surely come to an end if only to save the blushes of the people in the higher echelons of the transport authority.
I am bound every two years to present myself at some authorised VRT garage to have my car tested before being allowed to have a road licence.
All well and good. However, how is it that when I am back on the road I encounter instances that make me flinch. For example, all types of vehicles emitting thick black smoke – many of them government-owned, vehicles with no brake lights, silencers that do not silence the noise, no rear lights, just one single front light… the list is endless.
Have all these vehicles passed the test and by what means and by whom?
Some time ago a letter over my signature had appeared in The Times wherein I drew the attention of the then Transport Minister, Ċensu Galea, who had replied to a parliamentary question that out of a total of 102,314 vehicles that were VRT tested only 7,127 had failed! I immediately replied that the figures provided to the minister must have got mixed up.
To date, these blatant failings still persist, or have gotten worse, and it seems that no one has ever raised a finger to rectify these anomalies. Why this lethargy and indifference? Why oblige us to go for such tests when the majority are breaching all the rules of this fair land.
Laws are plentiful but their enforcement leaves much to be desired.
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R.Gauci
Sep 3rd 2010, 20:27
Agree with this article 100% but apart the VRT and the state of the roads in Malta,the biggest joke is the new Annual Road Circulation Tax system which started to operate from the 1st of January,2009 and which is making owners of cars having more years paying more then others of the same engine capacity or model even if these cars they own have less mileage and had been kept in very good condition and serviced regulary and to make things worst if you decide to buy or import a new or a good condition second hand car you will again have to pay a higher license then some bangers you see on the roads even if this car had passed all test TM makes on it to get it registered!! This is unbelievable and a complete discrimination which I will challenge when I will come back to live in Malta if ever, as this type of taxation system is not in operation in any other country of the EU and was set up just for the purpose to replace the money lost by the new registration system which still is not cheap at all!!
Claire Busuttil
Sep 3rd 2010, 16:38
Il VRT go Malta, ma huwa xejn aktar milli gbir ta flus min ghand il poplu, speci ta taxxa ohra indiretta!!! ikollok karozza, tiehu hsieba, imbaghad tehillek, ghax ikollok xi ftit sadid, (kul 2 trid taqtala s sadid, ghax jerga johrog) tehillek, ghax t tyres, ma ikunux esatt bhal xulxin(heqq imurlek, wiehed, ixtri 4 ux mela....) u ruxxmata affarijiet ohra ridikoli.
Li nicekjaw li il karozzi, ma ihamgux, l arja, tajjeb. Imma sa em, forsi ghandu dritt jasal il gvern Malta, sa kemm ilesti t toroq li hemm bzonn isiru b mod civili, imbad halli jamel VRT sura ta nies!!
JOSEPH FARRUGIA
Sep 3rd 2010, 14:49
l-akbar cajta mhux dik, tghidx kemm ilna nirrapurtaw 3 karozzi bir-registrazzjoni skaduta. Iccempel l-ghassa jghidulek cempel il-kunsill, u jekk iccempel lill-kunsill jghidlek dik problema tal pulizija. Miskin minhu bhali ghax jghobdi u jaghmel VRT test ta' veru. L-imbarazz li hawn fit-toroq donnu hawn minn jghalaq ghajnejh... is-soltu VIVA MALTA.
Claire Busuttil
Sep 3rd 2010, 16:34
@kemm ghandek qalbek tajba sur Farrugia, hekk taghddih z zmien tieghek tirapporta??? jew minghalik, qed taghmila ta cittadin esemplari!!
Ma tafx, li hemm il pulizija, u il wardens, li huma imhalsa ghal dawn l affarijiet!!??
jan willem van avendonk
Sep 3rd 2010, 17:03
Claire please close your mouth, we need people like him because . IF THE CAR WITHOUT LICENSE OR INSURANCE ,DAMAGES YOUR CAR OR MAIMS YOU IN AN ACCIDENT WHO IS GOING TO GIVE YOU COMPENSATION ??? WITHOUT LICENSE = WITHOUT INSURANCE= ILLEGAL = REPORT THNX
Claire Busuttil
Sep 3rd 2010, 22:32
@Jan willem etc etc etc etc etc etc .... you do not tell me to shout my mouth!! Who do you think you are???
by the way, here in Malta, there are police and wardens, which do this part of their job, really good, so NOW we do not need ppl like MrFarrugia, or like you.....sooooo veryyyyy RUDE!!
Robert Agius
Sep 4th 2010, 09:27
Claire, you're a warden by any chance?
JAFarrugia
Sep 3rd 2010, 14:07
It's the fault of every single car/truck/bus/bike owner in Malta. If instead of being colour blind we all got together and refuse to pay the license fee until the situation is solved. They cant take us all to court or to prison.
It's been going on for far too long and even the roads that are being fixed are done in a shoddy way.
j.schembri
Sep 3rd 2010, 13:40
AGREED ......100%
patrick zammit
Sep 3rd 2010, 11:12
And why does TM not renew a licence to a vehicle that failed a VRT on points like faulty suspension, damaged wheels/tyres etc when these same faults are caused by the bad state of the roads which the same TM's is responsible for?
Claire Busuttil
Sep 3rd 2010, 16:39
ahjar TM< tara li il buses li hawn, u t trakkijiet li hawn, ma ikomplux idahnu.....eee u li scamels, jigi imnadfa regolari, mhux tinzerta wara xi wiehed, tqalla stonku!!
patrick zammit
Sep 4th 2010, 11:39
Claire, two wrongs do not make a right.
F.Zammit
Sep 3rd 2010, 10:46
It is obvious, .........not mention BUSES, the excesive Smoke from vehicles exhaust systems.
Do they ALL REALLY pass the VRT? If yes is there credibility for these tests? I have also witnessed Traffic police passing through a puff of smoke, and looking the other way.
Can anyone please answer me where I might be wrong?
T Camilleri
Sep 3rd 2010, 10:37
Lights are something that can easily fail because lamps filaments are extremely fragile. In such cases the driver should not get a ticket but be expected to report to the local police station within 48 hours as used to be the case years ago to show them that s/he had fixed the problem. As regards back smoke, the greatest culprits include government vehicles as you have said. So it becomes rather embarrassing to enforce the law against black smoke when the government vehicled themselves and the power station are the greatest of black smoke and dust in Malta.
JOHN RIZZO
Sep 3rd 2010, 09:55
I AGREE WITH YOU 100%.THAT SHOWS THE LACK OF ROAD PATROLS FOR SUCH THINGS.
BY THE WAY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TRIPOD SPEED CAMERAS THEY PROMISED US SUCH A LONG TIME AGO????????????.
M Vella
Sep 3rd 2010, 09:37
VRT test, its the biggest joke in Malta.Minister responsible please wake up from your deep sleep.
Claire Busuttil
Sep 3rd 2010, 16:40
wake up!?!??! dak imqajjem qiegehd, imma li jinteresah hu li qed jaqla il flus!