Who is responsible for dumping all this rubbish in Holy Cross Road, corner with Bwieraq Street, Birkirkara? The wise guys who did this not only blocked cars but also presented a fire hazard. The local council should see to it that open skips are not allowed to sprout in the locality, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Centre strip

The centre strip on the stretch leading from Regional Road to Msida is crying out for a much-needed facelift through a proper clean-up, topping up of real soil and the planting of shrubs and trees. Is this what the taxpayers and tourists deserve? Surely most people drive along this stretch of land! Which entity is responsible to do what is needed? And no buck-passing games, please.

Reserved parking

Some Sliema residents have taken the ‘hands-off-our-parking-space’ attitude to a different level... as can be seen from the photo above, taken on March 19 at about 4pm in Falzon Street. This road – parallel to Rudolph Street – does not have timed parking and the parking bay in the picture could be used by anybody visiting in the area. Evidently, some resident decided to keep it all to himself.

Ongoing clean-up

Expecting a public place like the bus terminus in Valletta to always be spick and span may be a bit too much. But, given the big number of commuters that use the area for most of the day on a daily basis, there surely is need for a round-the-clock clean-up operation. Which does not mean, either, that we, the people, should not practise civic pride and keep public places as clean as humanly possible.

Shambolic look

The many meetings held at the Prime Minister’s office, in Castille – especially at this early stage of the legislature – mean many official cars drive there. Some leave and then return at the end of the meeting but quite a few can be seen parked haphazardly near the majestic building, portraying a shambolic image. Surely alternative arrangements can be made.

Broken news

There was a time when the public broadcasting station used to implement a 24-hour news cycle, whereby bulletins were updated every 24 hours. Sometimes it seems that the practice persists. It may have worked then but the advent of online news portals, the social media and citizen journalism makes it outdated and even boring. PBS ought to do some thinking.

Worthy representation

Well done to whoever decided on the composition of the Maltese delegation attending the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis in Rome. It may not have been the first time that the Opposition Leader was asked to attend but the idea of having four children from Puttinu Cares and two people from Id-Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi, together with their carers, was brilliant.

Trick or treat

It should have been trick or treat but the narrator of a wildlife documentary (translated into Maltese) that appeared on TVM on March 18 spoke of “trick or threat” (in English). Had it been said once, one would have thought it a mistake but it was repeated twice and on both occasions it was “trick or threat”. Oh, the documentary itself was indeed a treat!

If you have any item for On the dot, send it to onthedot@timesofmalta.com. Kindly include all particulars especially a contact telephone number. Items are sent under the express understanding and condition that the editor may, and is authorised to, disclose any/all of the personal information mentioned above to any person or entity requesting the information for the purposes of legal action on grounds that such person or entity feels aggrieved by the item published.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.