We read that fewer passengers and cars are crossing over to Gozo. This is quite understandable, as I may explain.

I have just returned from an unpleasant weekend there. I was smacked with a contravention ticket at Għajnsielem. I overstayed on a stretch of road that allowed parking for 90 minutes only. So far so good!

What irks me is that there were other cars parked there and none, bar one, suffered the same fate. I even saw one driver park on this same stretch and then take the ferry to Malta. I monitored the situation and the cars were still there all day and no contravention notices were to be seen on their windscreens.

It is also well known there are three price levels on Gozo: one for tourists, one for Maltese, and one for Gozitans. My next trip to the sister island will be for a few hours (when I would have normally stayed for about four or five days), to attend a performance of Madama Butterfly.

I will not be taking my car and will hurry back as fast as possible! And in future I will avoid going there as much as possible and will also be advertising the injustices meted out to us non-Gozitans.

By the way, I probably will not mind supplying the other offending car registration details to the Għajnsielem council.