Usually, if an enjoyable pastime is deemed anti-social, such as indulging in alcohol, tobacco, betting, gambling or owning an over-sized car, the standard remedy is for the State to tax it heavily.

Then everyone can feel happy: the politicians who have taken punitive action, the virtuous who know that the unvirtuous are paying for their vice, the sinners whose sin is being sanctioned by the State, the treasury which benefits from the increase in receipts, and those who want to display their wealth and are given yet another opportunity to do so.

While sitting in the stationary line of traffic in Sliema (as I often do), I was watching the more Malta-savvy drivers zoom along the semi-illegal (or semi-legal) bus lane, when suddenly I thought, why not tax bus lane driving?

It could easily be done: in return for a large sum of money Henley and Partners could provide badges, limited to 10,000, which would give the holder the legal right to use all bus lanes, on equal terms with buses and taxis.

The logo on the badges could be just a hand, making a rude gesture, which is basically what is happening today.