I share Edward Borg Cardona's concerns regarding the ever-increasing toxic traffic emissions prevailing on our islands.

The authorities are well aware that to the dismay of many, the emissions and noise pollution prevail in breach of the relevant traffic regulations with the consequential health hazards particularly in urban areas. The prevailing widespread breach of the relevant regulations (LN 126 and LN 128) regarding excessive toxic emissions and excessive traffic noise leads one to conclude that appropriate enforcement leaves much to be desired.

It is argued that such contraventions are in most cases obvious to detect and therefore bring the offender to book. The case of the offending public transport buses is the most glaring example, as these buses convene at the Valletta and other bus termini and are on the road regularly according to schedules and specified routes authorised and plotted by the Malta Transport Authority itself.

Similarly, other offending heavy/commercial vehicles are easily identifiable and may be easily tracked. I am confident that the appropriate surveillance at the Valletta and other bus termini, arterial roads and traffic junctions by ADT officers would yield much better results than the SMS emissions alert reporting initiative.

This despite ADT claiming success on the basis of the 130,000 SMSs received, with over 3,500 vehicles tested at least once, 16 per cent of which failed the test, and the circa 800 road licence renewal restrictions until the end of 2007.

In the circumstances one may conclude that the emissions alert SMS campaign has achieved very little.

The disproportionate number of 130,000 SMS reports received by the ADT, as against the circa 3,500 vehicles tested with 16 per cent (560) failing the test, may be indicative of the shortfall of this campaign.

These figures may mean that either there were insufficient reports for ADT to call alleged offenders (less than three reports on each of the alleged particular offending vehicles) or more than three reports on each of the same allegedly offending vehicles, or that there were a large number of inappropriate/false reports.

Otherwise one may reasonably argue that 130,000 SMS alert reports would have possibly translated into circa 43,333 vehicles being called for the excessive emissions inspection. Moreover, the fact that it took a total of 108 complaints received on just one bus in a 12-week period (May 15) prior to enforcement action being taken, is also indicative of the inertia and inability of the authorities concerned.

Further explanations in this respect from the authorities concerned would be most welcome, as this may provide a more accurate assessment as to the dimension of the problem and to the success or otherwise of the SMS emission alert campaign.

Regrettably, however, to date neither ADT nor the Ministry for Infrastructure Transport and Communications have been forthcoming with adequate explanations.