It’s always a great thing to see quality spaces sprouting. The Mdina ditch was in such shambles that we hardly knew it existed. Now Zap! It’s been transformed into what sounds like a glorious piece of relaxing space.

How great such plans are, what magic grips the land. But hang on a second. Like all good things in life they come with a bit of a minus—or a big minus. All good and cheery to have nice spaces for the gentry to walk around and play hide and seek. Even better when we have a few fountains to keep us cool and children entertained. But do we envisage all the problems? No, not the fact that the Mdina one doesn’t seem to have any fountains. There in the ditch just outside Greeks Gate was a football ground that might have been awful but it managed to keep in its fold a few cars for some of us who do not use Arriva.

Couldn’t someone have first thought of creating a few extra car spaces before turning the football pitch into an open space?. Or at least did anyone check what sort of effect such action will have? I love gardens and I love the fact that all the water that was being lost is being used to irrigate the trees and turf. But not everyone can make do without cars. Some of us have kids, grandkids and prams, buggies and bikes, trikes and sofas, thermos flasks and such important stuff to carry to gardens. We might even have a granddad and his means of transport or a granny on skates. You can’t take all this stuff—and God knows what else—on an Arriva bus.

So may I say—great thinking Mr Minister but not enough. Unless the idea is for us all—except the privileged ministers—to just ditch our cars.