I am pleased to see the electronic messages about safety in addition to fines for this and fines for that. A mature society cherishes education and learning rather than heavy handedness. Fines alone do not lead to safer and better driving.

I also think that there should be a mixture of Maltese and English messages in order to benefit everybody on the island, not to mention the importance of avoiding the impression that we only put up these electronic signs for tourists.

However the purpose of this letter is health related. There is no doubt that Transport Malta has abandoned its quest for cleaner air. The increasing number of vehicles emitting fumes is evident. All sorts of fumes, black powdery diesel fumes, white gassy motor oil fumes, visible or invisible heavy scented petrol fumes; quite a variety.

I for one am a driver, a biker and a cyclist. As a driver I am locked in the confines of my car with the emissions that many Maltese vehicles grace us with. As a biker I take the particles and gasses into my lungs in full force. As a cyclist especially when riding uphill I take in a cocktail of air and fumes deep into my lungs. I shudder to think what this is doing to us.

Transport Malta should also consider transmitting signs about fumes and the relative hazards to the public. It should also seriously restore the phone-in service for emissions. Moreover it should restore credibility to the VRT system which seems to be only a sham at present as there are so many vehicles emitting fumes on our roads. How do such cars pass the VRT test? How do they manage to circumvent the system?

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