• Holding on for dear life to these handles as the bus jolts standing passengers to and fro is not always the safest option, it seems. What does Arriva have to say?
Road runners
• Marker cones laid on long stretches of road and the closing of arterial junctions for the Malta Marathon yesterday caused confusion and flaring tempers among motorists. Can the promoters kindly come up with a better traffic management plan next time round and will Transport Malta ensure things are done the right way? Can the transport watchdog come out of its slumber?
Missing the bus
• People living in upper Church Avenue, Paola, and its whereabouts have a good 10-minute walk to the nearest bus stage, which is either in Tarxien, or near the Palace, Paola, or else Żabbar Road, Fgura. Maybe Arriva can organise that one of the bus routes to Żejtun or Birżebbuġa pass on a regular basis (especially in the morning and afternoons) on the way to/from Valletta. Old people have to get a lift to the nearest stage. One can remember that, in the past, there used to be a terminus in Paola.
Raised crossing
• Will somebody show some care to make the zebra crossing at Msida (opposite Kennedy) a raised one? A pool of water forms in the opening pedestrians are supposed to use every time it rains. Can something be done to improve the draining of the main road into the sea when it rains? A large pool forms in front of the bus shelter, less than three metres from the sea. Perhaps a rocket scientist can be commissioned to solve this problem.
By the hour
• There seems to be agreement that having court sittings by appointment would contribute to speed things up and do away with unnecessary time wasting. But there needs to be an all-out effort for such system to work. So why should the judge/magistrate set a hearing at a given time only for people to subsequently receive the usual notice from the police requiring them to be in court at 9am, at times hours before the time decided by the court in the previous sitting?
Waiting list
• It has been announced that work on the building of the replica Wignacourt Arch at Fleur-de-Lys has not yet started because there has been an appeal in the tendering process. Things like that happen. But, since these are things that happen why is demolition allowed to take place before the whole process is cleared? As things stand now, a big mess on a roundabout greets all those approaching the locality.
Red alert
• The traffic lights on the main road leading to Mosta, close to the Ħal Mann plant, needs some attention. A sign advises that the middle lane, the one crossing straight from near the plant to the other side of the road touching Mosta Technopark, should only be used by buses. But many daring, or should it be irresponsible, motorists still use it and the traffic lights turn red as they are operated by some sort of sensor. If this is to be allowed, then the sign should be removed forthwith.
Who cares?
• The rubbish bins at Ġlormu Cassar Avenue, Valletta, remained overflowing for days on end last week. Why? Who is responsible for cleaning them up? There can hardly be a more prime area than that. The local council should look into it.
Compare and contrast
• Is it possible to have a system whereby decisions by members of the judiciary are explained. Society certainly has a right to know the motivation behind a decision by a judge/magistrate and such explanations can remove doubts some may justifiably harbour. Take two decisions made last week. Two charged in connection with the highly controversial oil bribery scandal were granted bail, against a miserly €3,000 deposit. And a magistrate banned publication of the name of a jeweller accused of buying stolen precious items worth over €300,000 after his lawyer insisted that publication could do untold harm to his business.
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