It was just before 9 a.m. when the “explosion” occurred. Marion Agius had been driving to a religious seminar in Mosta when she was caught unawares as the car in front of her suddenly swerved.
“I’m a careful driver but I had no way of avoiding it – I only had a split second from when the car in front swerved until I hit the crater andmy tyre exploded,” she told TheSunday Times.
Ms Agius never made it to her seminar. Like countless other drivers across the country, she was a victim of a pothole made worse by the heavy rains that lashed the island last Tuesday. Instead of the seminar she had been looking forward to, Ms Agius was forced to spend the morning – and €50 – effecting repairs at a nearby garage.
“It’s just so frustrating. I’m now very anxious about driving in the rain,” she said.
In the absence of official figures or acknowledgment of the problem – questions sent to Transport Malta remain unanswered – The Sunday Times contacted breakdown services to find out the toll that the seemingly ubiquitous potholes take on vehicles after heavy rains.
MTC director Joe Caruana said his company had to call-up three extra staff members after it received an abnormally high 56 calls in 24 hours as a consequence of potholes caused by the rain last week.
When asked why local roads are so susceptible to potholes, he said: “I do not really know what the problem is but something inappropriate is definitely occurring, considering that this situation repeats itself every time after heavy rain.”
RMF managing director Patrick Rausi said his company also had to use extra recovery drivers; it received three-and-a-half times more calls than usual due to potholes after last Tuesday’s storm. However, he said RMF members seem to have become more attentive to the problem.
“Thank goodness our members are learning. Although the number of calls due to potholes is still high, the fact that we have fewer now than in the past is not because the roads are better, it’s because our members are more aware.”
When asked about the worst affected areas, Mr Caruana and Mr Rausi named Msida, Ġzira, Birkirkara, Lija and St Andrew’s.
Testaferrata Street’s infamous pothole in Gżira, opposite the Paul and Rocco petrol station, is always worsened by the rains, as the usual shoddy patchwork around the manhole comes undone. In the wake of last week’s storm it reached lunar proportions. After many a vehicle was observed emerging from it licking its wounds, it was finally filled yesterday.
Another culprit is a pothole outside Splash and Fun Water Park in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.
One recovery service, which asked to remain anonymous, said it found seven cars in the same predicament when it was called to assist a vehicle stuck there last week.
The Sunday Times spoke to a road designer who works locally for a private contractor. He said historically Malta’s road system has lacked adequate drainage, but more than that, the problem of potholes stems from inadequate planning and management at Transport Malta.
“I find it so frustrating when I see a road being resurfaced, because I know potholes will emerge at the first sign of bad weather. The contractors know they can get away with shoddy work – they are rarely held accountable,” he said.
pcooke@timesofmalta.com
Crater crazy
Have you seen or been the victim of a pothole? Send your photos of Malta’s lunar roads to sunday@timesofmalta.com.