The contractors who perform works in the middle of the road or on the side of the road – whether they are engaged by the central government or local authorities – seem to be badly in need of a refresher course on how to protect their own workers and make life easier for road users.
Warning traffic signs to indicate the presence of such works need to be placed well in advance of their location in order to draw the attention of drivers to what to expect to find further down the road.
The current practice of placing a warning sign immediately before the work in progress needs to be abandoned. Some of these signs are supposed to indicate that works are being performed 25 metres away. Yet these signs are invariably placed barely three metres away!
This is not good enough. A warning traffic sign placed 25 metres away would be much better. But oncoming traffic needs to be warned much earlier, so that those who could choose a different route could have the opportunity to do so.
Ideally, early warning signs should be placed at junctions – if there are any – where drivers could be warned to take appropriate action before it is too late.
Such early warning signs could avoid some of the congestion and allow workers to perform their tasks in a more secure and safe environment.
Such early warning signs need to be placed on both sides of the works being carried out if the road in question is two-way. This is all a question of communication. Stationing a sole traffic warden on one side of the site where the works are taking place is not a solution. The warden cannot be on both sides at the same time.
It is not known what kind of training wardens are being provided. This is not a matter of improvisation. The safety of the workers involved and of road users merits more attention before serious accidents take place – not after.
It appears that the whole system needs to be re-evaluated and the appropriate action taken by the authorities concerned.
The Malta Automobile Club is inviting car users to draw its attention to traffic situations that could be improved so that the authorities could be informed.
Car users could of course draw the attention of the authorities directly.