Julian Borg (October 24) claims that he has a new bus stop which he does not use while others who clamour for a service do not get one. Thus, he is confirming the ramshackle way the bus routes were designed. Instead of an armchair critic we have an armchair apologist. Although he states that the complaints are about the frequency and longer times these are about the stupid routes one takes around Malta in the hope of reaching one’s destination.

To control the heavy traffic there is some urgent action to be taken.

Introduce all the previous routes. They worked and provided an adequate service. Re-establish the terminus outside Valletta. Clean new buses are not an eyesore. Valletta has become unreachable.

Exert stringent control and rules on the huge amount of junk and second- hand cars that are inundating Malta. VRT tests should start earlier and be more frequent. Put mobile patrols out for more effective control.

Insist that all cars should be driven with at least the sidelights on all the time and that dipped headlights are switched on at dusk.

The litany is endless but, obviously, an armchair apologist wouldn’t know about any of these. Any government requires genuine critics. The ministers are never really in touch with the people and comments in the press should be taken seriously not brushed aside as coming from the great unwashed. In a democratic society, the government is for the people, not the other way round.

Someone must admit that to satisfy the Renzo Piano nonsense all sense of proportion has been lost. It is the Prime Minister and the minister who must apologise to the people not the other way round. They should be ashamed of wanting the people to act like serfs and submit to the whims of arrogant omnipotent kings of old.