Normally, as a general election approaches, we are told of the imminent discovery of oil. This time round, we have not reached an oily conclusion, but the fantastic number of roads that are receiving a limited length of a largely cosmetic wearing course can gauge this election.

This shallow depth of tarmac will hopefully cover the multitude of indentations, cracks, holes and general damage that seem possibly to have become ever more common on the more popular Arriva bus routes.

Sadly, although the then Tranport Minister Jesmond Mugliett had promised total surface completion by 2013, there has been quite a lot of serious new road construction, but little has been done to improve the few really important link roads, often kilometres in length, but falling theoretically under local council responsibility and very expensive to keep in good order, while council funding is woefully inadequate. Mr Mugliett’s forecast was completely nonsensical. Rather like something dreamt up by Edward Lear and Heath Robinson.

All roads, including country lanes need regular maintenance. A really thorough job should last for 20 years or more with only minor repairs. However, a cosmetic job may last for months to, possibly, five years.

This latter period will see out most of my journalistic motoring adventures. Hence, I cock a snoop at all you youngsters who will without doubt be still complaining about ill-finished roads in 20 years’ time.

I am considerably surprised to find that without asking the local council, Transport Malta has resurfaced a section of the Għajn Tuffiegħ/Żebbiegħ road, a council road.

This was a decent blessing, with some 300 metres of it looking rather nice, as the road is straight and user- friendly. However, unknown to this scribe who is a consultant to the council, and in fact unknown to the mayor, a continuous line has been painted instead of the expected broken central marker.

This is a nuisance of a line, as the road carries more than its fair share of slow-moving traffic. In fact, having come upon a tractor with trailer doing a scant 10km/h, I broke with convention and straddled the line to overtake the slow-moving beast.

Imagine my surprise after enjoying coffee and food at Golden Bay to find a police car, on normal duty, no flashing lights and howling screeches with a driver who crossed the same line to overtake two slow-moving vehicles. Obviously, under normal motoring circumstances, the police, along with Arriva bus drivers, have no more legal right to straddle or cross a continuous line than I.

Some days ago, a party of three cyclists overtook me in Triq it-Trunċiera a few metres beyond Qawra Point, near the new aquarium. They travelled, three abreast, safely on a bit of the road with double yellow lines and no parking bays. The innermost cycle hit a pedestrian crossing ramp (see photo) hard enough to be thrown most heavily, and appeared to have damaged himself and his cycle.

In enlightened countries that consider pinch points to be a worthwhile traffic management exercise, the approach side to these obstructions has a ramp, not a slab-sided accident-promoting approach, so that cycles, motorcycles or even cars that inadvertently hit the obstruction do no damage to the pinch point or themselves. The far side of the obstruction is then usually slab-sided to discourage people actually driving, riding or cycling onto it. It really isn’t rocket science.

Everything that intrudes onto the carriageway really must be totally user-friendly and fit for purpose. If we had a decently efficient Health and Safety Department, they would pick up on such potentially dangerous constructions and have them made safe.

The recent dangerously heavy hailstorm damaged hundreds of cars as well as balconies and rooftop panels and air-conditioners. Sadly, my immaculate 1978 Mini has its fair share of small dents in the roof, which will be attended to later in the year. However, as I was sheltering in San Pawl tat-Tarġa under a small bougainvillea and the road was becoming most interestingly covered in hail and slush, it became obvious that the storm would be less at sea level and I could practise my long-unused icy-road skills, enjoying memories from winter motoring in the UK in the mid-1950s.

I happily went down San Pawl tat-Tarġa hill in bottom gear, not needing to use cadence braking. The contemporary vehicle ahead was driven by a brake-mad lunatic who fishtailed all the way down the road.

For the unwary, ABS on most cars will not stop a vehicle on wet leaves and icy slush down a hill.

Gently dabbing the foot brake, having engaged, low gear will be the only answer.