Parking problem bringing out the worst

A permit was obtained from the local council and two no parking signs put in place the day before. A furniture transport van would park there. The delivery men would dismantle some furniture and 30 minutes later a small crane or “high up” would transport the new furniture to the flat. A small part of the road would be closed for a couple of hours or less.

That morning, two cars parked in the spaces marked no parking. Once cleared, even though I stood inside the boxes guiding cars away expecting the van any minute, one person still tried to park saying he needed to simply deliver a couple of items. The very next second, a young lady tried to push her car into the space complaining I had two parking spaces blocked. That minute, thankfully, the furniture van arrived and parked.

Just behind them, a man had parked in the yellow reserved parking for the lotto receiver. The driver argued with them to move the van forward. The warden arrived and asked the man to move his car out of the reserved space. With an empty space further down the road, he still chose to scream at the warden aggressively. I handed the crane/road closure permit to the warden who showed it to the man.

The man was shouting: “I’m handicapped, I’m handicapped. I can park there.” Since there was no apparent handicap, the warden asked him to produce the blue handicap form. Needless to say, the man did not produce any form.

Everyone ended up going to the nearby police station and eventually leaving again without any reports made.

Time was pressing. The “high up” arrived, the road was closed and the job continued. I had to pay the crane for an extra hour to complete the job.

What right do people have to be so aggressive to others and try to intimidate them when they see a no parking sign, which is authorised by the local council? I see the signs all the time and am patient. What right do they have to push their cars into spaces clearly marked as no parking with signs authorised by the local council; to hold up works and intimidate workers when someone else is paying; to scream at a warden when they are the ones actually in the wrong; to impersonate a handicapped person, if they are not, or do not have the necessary documents; to disturb the peace like that?

What about respecting your neighbours? And, finally, what sort of welcome is that to people visiting Sliema on a job? What is happening to people in Sliema? Are people going back to territorial, animalistic instincts when it comes to parking?