Potholes and other hazards (1)

I have been living in the Far East for three years in Singapore, an island not much bigger than Malta, with continuous rain all year round under tropical weather conditions. The roads are constructed carefully here and they start from the foundations, and proper procedures are followed in constructing new roads or rebuilding others.

Driving in the rain here is not a problem as the products used in constructing the roads and final layer are made up of a lot of ingredients to prevent cars and bikes from skidding.

Malta has always been and will always be the same, especially concerning its roads. Vehicle owners pay a considerable amount of money annually in road tax but what do they get in return for their investment? Nothing but roads that destroy vehicles.

Driving on Maltese roads requires totally undivided attention, as most of the time drivers are swerving from one side of the road to the other to avoid potholes, and in some cases we can even classify them as pot-wells.

Even if it does not rain, potholes are continuously appearing in Malta due to the poor quality of materials used and failure to observe basic construction procedures.

The summer heat or the heavy rains are simply excuses for Transport Malta to keep receiving income from road taxes and licences and giving nothing in return.

I feel Maltese drivers should withhold payment of their annual road tax until the roads are worth driving on.