On October 19, I had to make a quick visit to hospital. Like many others I tried to find a parking spot just outside the hospital grounds in Triq San Ġiljan, located within the San Ġwann industrial estate (right next the Bio Malta construction site). This is a popular parking spot for both hospital patients as well as visitors.

While trying to park, I had my eyes peeled on the ground to find a white space within which to park. I finally found one (as can be seen in the photo) and parked properly within the lines.

Just 40 minutes after my hospital visit, I returned to find a policeman who had slapped each car (there must have been about 70, all legitimately parked in white spaces) with parking tickets. When I, and many others around at the time, inquired why we were served with a ticket the reply was that there were signs along the road showing that no parking was allowed. This was totally unfair! Firstly, the whole road was littered with all kinds of signage including signs requesting caution for construction site exits, no entry signs and whatever else you can think of. Secondly and more importantly, which instruction prevails: the availability of a legitimate parking space as indicated with a white box or is it the no parking sign? Which came first? Why weren’t the white spaces blanked off if they really didn’t want people to park there?

Finally, when desperately looking for a space to park in such a busy area, we all know that drivers will have their eyes on the ground looking for white bordered spaces, not thinking of anything else, let along trying to see if the white space came with a no parking sign 50 metres up the road!

The policeman simply drove off grinning broadly, thinking that he accomplished his good deed of the day, in the meantime leaving me trying to contest this injustice.