We feel a great deal of sympathy for the foreign management of Arriva, as they were thrown into the deep end of a pool of extremely muddy Mediterranean proportions, one that could only have occurred when the Ministry of Transport and Transport Malta (TM) assumed they had the expertise to modify the existing bus routes beyond all reason and satisfy the drivers with somewhat low wages.

Bearing in mind the responsibility of driving the public on a day-to-day basis, and harsh shifts, this becomes nonsensical.

The basis of the old framework could have been retained and all local councils should have been bludgeoned into submitting individual proposals for tightening the routes through their own areas.

After due consultation new routes could then have logically been added to the bare framework, and hey-presto we would have been gifted with decent buses, logical and well-planned routes and eventually enough enthusiastic and well-trained drivers to handle a 21st century public transport system.

This month we have good reason to congratulate the small department within Transport Malta for experimenting with thermo-plastic road markings that now illuminate the dreadful Salina/Naxxar road so clearly at night. I happen to know that TM received a lot of help from the UK, including the use of a higher ‘melting’ point plastic than is normally used over there. Obviously the lines will have to be washed from time to time in summer for drivers to be able to identify the centre lines during the day, until, that is, drivers realise that it’s simply stupid driving along the centre line just for the fun of depositing tyre rubber and dust onto the thermo plastic.

In early 2006 the then CEO of the Transport Authority (ADT) asked me, a consultant in traffic management within the ADT, and something of an enthusiast when traffic signs were involved, to remove unnecessary signage on the Salina/Naxxar road. Over 40 signs were removed because they were confusing and put the ADT in a bad light.

It is a fact of motoring life that for drivers to take note, signs should only be placed where it is absolutely vital that the motorists are aware of approaching hazards, road junctions, and so forth.

Signs should never be placed like skittles, because if a driver is stupid enough to take his eyes off the road to see a magnificence of signage he is asking for a head-on collision.

We say all this because the vast majority of the signs that were removed in 2006 are at the time of writing now back, in a bigger size. It was also agreed that in the interests of keeping traffic moving, the ‘Stop’ sign at the junction with the Coast Road would be replaced with a ‘Give Way’ sign. The ‘Stop’ sign is now back, and an expert within Transport Malta has assured me that ‘Give Way’ signs are unsually used on roundabouts.

If that is true why has the ‘Stop’ sign at the junction of the Magħtab turning with Salina road been blessed with a new ‘Give Way’ sign in place of the existing ‘Stop’ sign?

Recently in rural Sicily I photographed a line of photovoltaic street lamps. These were six kilometres from the nearest village and illuminated a little used country road in the vicinity of a couple of cow farms.

Obviously the night-time illumination spared drivers from suddenly skidding on extremely slippery patches of road that were not illuminated by the headlamps of approaching vehicle.

These excellent lights are also used in rural areas to illuminate hazardous bends, road junctions, and so forth, kilometres away from normal power sources.

Why we don’t have hundreds of these lamps in rural areas of Malta and Gozo?

Courtesy on the road

The use of the words ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ are becoming rare, and therefore it should come as no surprise to find so many approaching drivers totally ignoring anyone who gives way to them, unless it is obligatory to do so. A simple wave is enough to say ‘thank you’.

When acting as a driving examiner, I roundly told off students if they failed to wave their thanks for any kindness shown.

The usual reply was that the instructor had told them to have two hands on the wheel at all times.

My reply was always: “ How the heck do you changegear then”.