Readers will remember that last month I was incandescent to find that various junctions had been given the sort of priority treatment that could only work if vehicles were controlled by some force other than human.
Simply put, if there is any sort of 'T' junction, traffic entering the leg of the 'T from the right must give way to traffic turning left into the leg of the 'T'. I had dramatised two of the junctions where traffic turning right had been given priority over traffic turning left. This will lead to massive accidents when an approaching vehicle appears to be signalling left but in fact intends to go straight on. The other vehicle, knowing that 'right of way' is his or hers, will then start a turn to the right slap bang into the path of the vehicle signalling in error.
The Traffic Management Unit is in duty bound to anticipate such happenings. Every motorist has often been faced with indicators that fail to cancel, or cancel only after a considerable length of road has been covered, and this fresh example of incorrect carriageway markings does nothing to boost confidence in either traffic management, or, for that matter, in the necessary abilities that should be found in the new CEO of the ADT.
As at December 1 the important rectangular mirror, carriage way markings, 'street furniture' and more Cat's Eyes are still missing from the Salina/San Pawl tat-Tarġa/Birguma Bypass. The ADT must however be congratulated on placing a superbly interesting, and somewhat difficult-to-negotiate, roundabout half way along this bypass.
At some point, the Għargħur road joins this bypass, and a while ago the 'Go Left' sign was knocked down.
It was replaced by the usual sign on a short pole that was thumped within a couple of days; 18 months ago, I was responsible for getting a much taller pole placed at this spot so that vehicles coming uphill towards the junction could see the 'Go Left' sign before reaching the 'blind' top of the slope.
That sign lasted well over a year before suffering the 'knock-it-flat' syndrome so popular with our wilder drivers.
The anticipated roundabout or other traffic management in Mdina Road, Birkirkara, where the road under the aqueduct spills traffic from one direction, and a massive number of vehicles trawl out from the Mrieħel industrial estate, Melita, Gasan, and others to 'invite' regular accidents, was allegedly put on 'hold' by the Minister of Roads because of lack of funds.
I recently happened on a lady sitting in the driving seat of her vehicle, partly blocking the Mosta/Burmurrad road at the junction with the Bidnija turning after the front end of the car was massively damaged as it sat impaled on the end piece of the ARMCO barrier.
Wisely, she accepted my offer to sit in my car waiting for help to arrive, but was totally unaware of paragraph 139 of our Highway Code which helpfully states: "If you cannot get your vehicle off the carriageway onto the hard shoulder, switch on your hazard warning lights and if possible place a warning triangle at least 50 metres behind the broken vehicle (not actually needed in these circumstances). Leave your vehicle only when you can safely get clear of the carriageway."
Common sense would dictate that you get out of a damaged vehicle if you aren't hurt, because if someone else slides into you, whiplash will be the least of your medical problems. Of course, if the ARMCO were extended by a metre or so, cars would bounce off rather than be impaled.
Driving examiners once more
An attrition rate of four out of nine examiners in little over a year is altogether too high. I was the first to leave at the end of my contract. Then Steve, with 14 years as a driving instructor in London, called it quits.
Len, a front-line soldier, with a bunch of medals on the way, seemed to find the lack of 'officer' types able to pass commands down to the troops so unnerving, that he has ploughed off into far-off African states as a driver/instructor. Now Ray, another former UK-based driving instructor, has found a different way to make use of his many talents, and good MBA.
As a one-time human resources manager, (personnel manager for the Preluna Hotel between 1974 and 1976), I would have been on the 'mat' before Joe Preca, if I had been careless enough to 'lose' four vital members of a small team in such a short time.
Simply put, if there is any sort of 'T' junction, traffic entering the leg of the 'T from the right must give way to traffic turning left into the leg of the 'T'. I had dramatised two of the junctions where traffic turning right had been given priority over traffic turning left. This will lead to massive accidents when an approaching vehicle appears to be signalling left but in fact intends to go straight on. The other vehicle, knowing that 'right of way' is his or hers, will then start a turn to the right slap bang into the path of the vehicle signalling in error.
The Traffic Management Unit is in duty bound to anticipate such happenings. Every motorist has often been faced with indicators that fail to cancel, or cancel only after a considerable length of road has been covered, and this fresh example of incorrect carriageway markings does nothing to boost confidence in either traffic management, or, for that matter, in the necessary abilities that should be found in the new CEO of the ADT.
As at December 1 the important rectangular mirror, carriage way markings, 'street furniture' and more Cat's Eyes are still missing from the Salina/San Pawl tat-Tarġa/Birguma Bypass. The ADT must however be congratulated on placing a superbly interesting, and somewhat difficult-to-negotiate, roundabout half way along this bypass.
At some point, the Għargħur road joins this bypass, and a while ago the 'Go Left' sign was knocked down.
It was replaced by the usual sign on a short pole that was thumped within a couple of days; 18 months ago, I was responsible for getting a much taller pole placed at this spot so that vehicles coming uphill towards the junction could see the 'Go Left' sign before reaching the 'blind' top of the slope.
That sign lasted well over a year before suffering the 'knock-it-flat' syndrome so popular with our wilder drivers.
The anticipated roundabout or other traffic management in Mdina Road, Birkirkara, where the road under the aqueduct spills traffic from one direction, and a massive number of vehicles trawl out from the Mrieħel industrial estate, Melita, Gasan, and others to 'invite' regular accidents, was allegedly put on 'hold' by the Minister of Roads because of lack of funds.
I recently happened on a lady sitting in the driving seat of her vehicle, partly blocking the Mosta/Burmurrad road at the junction with the Bidnija turning after the front end of the car was massively damaged as it sat impaled on the end piece of the ARMCO barrier.
Wisely, she accepted my offer to sit in my car waiting for help to arrive, but was totally unaware of paragraph 139 of our Highway Code which helpfully states: "If you cannot get your vehicle off the carriageway onto the hard shoulder, switch on your hazard warning lights and if possible place a warning triangle at least 50 metres behind the broken vehicle (not actually needed in these circumstances). Leave your vehicle only when you can safely get clear of the carriageway."
Common sense would dictate that you get out of a damaged vehicle if you aren't hurt, because if someone else slides into you, whiplash will be the least of your medical problems. Of course, if the ARMCO were extended by a metre or so, cars would bounce off rather than be impaled.
Driving examiners once more
An attrition rate of four out of nine examiners in little over a year is altogether too high. I was the first to leave at the end of my contract. Then Steve, with 14 years as a driving instructor in London, called it quits.
Len, a front-line soldier, with a bunch of medals on the way, seemed to find the lack of 'officer' types able to pass commands down to the troops so unnerving, that he has ploughed off into far-off African states as a driver/instructor. Now Ray, another former UK-based driving instructor, has found a different way to make use of his many talents, and good MBA.
As a one-time human resources manager, (personnel manager for the Preluna Hotel between 1974 and 1976), I would have been on the 'mat' before Joe Preca, if I had been careless enough to 'lose' four vital members of a small team in such a short time.