On the Dot

• A large tyre has been embedded in the sand at Wied il-Buni in Birżebbuġa since last summer. The local council has been informed but not action has yet been taken to have it removed. Sunken ships can be refloated but getting this tyre out of the way is proving to be impossible! It is danger lurking beneath the surface.

Light

• Some schools have windows at least a storey up, which means that pedestrians cannot see inside and neither can neighbours since there aren’t any right across the road. Yet, the curtains are kept drawn and electric lights switched on. This does not make sense. It is a waste of energy and teaches students the wrong values.

Lessons

• On the other hand, there are schools where, because of vandalism, street-level windows have a metal grille in front of them. This is often allowed to become rusty, giving the whole building an uncared for aspect. One hopes that this issue is tackled during the summer holidays.

Lifelines

• The tiling in the new Valletta terminus tends to get slippery when liquid falls upon it. Last Monday, an Italian tourist fell and began bleeding from the nose. It was then that it dawned upon commuters and bus inspectors alike that there is no first aid post to deal with such emergencies.

Listless

• On June 11, at 9 a.m., the 110 bus sped through Fleur-de-Lys without stopping at the bus stop across the road from Bank of Valletta. Was this because the driver was running late? Or was it because he realised that at least four people were making a run for it, hoping to catch him when he was supposed to stop?

Lax

• Six days earlier, on June 5, the 12.10 p.m. bus 122 (St Luke’s Hospital to Valletta) did not turn up and the 12.40p.m. bus arrived at 12.55 p.m. Whoever visits SLH does so through inevitable necessity; the last thing they want to do is have to wait unduly for a bus to return home. On the same day, the 1.45 p.m. bus 73 (Valletta to Żurrieq) service left Valletta at 2.07 p.m.

Liberals

• What is Arriva’s policy when the ticketing machine does not work? Are passengers entitled to a free ride or should the drivers go to their mustering place in order to get the machine fixed, thus making commuters late for work or other appointments?

Letter

• To all intents and purposes, a pedestrian area is supposed to mean that no vehicles whatsoever are allowed on a particular stretch of road. And, yet, the drivers of the white taxis in Valletta actually expect people to get out of the way for them as they go down Republic Street. Some of them visibly show their impatience when people fail to move nippily.

Lullaby

• It would be more pleasant if the synchronised fountains at St George Square, Valletta, surprised bystanders by leaping to a different score every so often. The repetition of the same melody tends to set people’s teeth on edge, however pleasant it sounds, when it is played day in, day out.

Listed

• Malta Dairy Products ought to insist with their kiosk owners that they must have a clearly visible price list for clients. Products should not cover the price list, whether intentionally or not. Moreover, the weighing of ricotta ought to be done in clear view of the consumer in order to safeguard both hygiene and accurate weight that may easily be seen by the buyer.

Listeners

• Websites of government and parastatal entities should include the hours when the public may phone with enquiries, as well as all the extension numbers to desks that are manned by customer service staff. The same page should include a form for online contact and people who use it should receive at least an acknowledgement during the next two working days.

Leads

• It is very unfair that dogs are allowed to run free in public gardens. Owners can never pick up the messes if this is done on turf or grass and the urine, of course, sinks in. Children are not fussy about where they play, as long as they enjoy themselves and parents sometimes do not realise that the area is not clean until it is too late.

Locations

Would it be possible to have a shuttle service for University students who would then be able to park their cars well away from the campus and be on time for the lessons? It would be useful to enable them to get a season ticket for this rather like the ones for the Arriva bus service.