Between the Dolmen Hotel and the Fra Ben Tower on the Qawra promenade, safely tucked away below trees and shrubs, are nestled a number of tables and chairs. These have been there over the winter months and might belong to the owners of the closest kiosk. Is it possible there was nowhere else to store them? Or is it just they need to be handy if open-air seating is required quickly?

Thoroughfare

Another near miss happened last Tuesday morning in the stretch of road leading to Sta Luċija in the break of the centre strip right in front of the Puma shops. Cars coming from the Paola side often cross the road straight into the path of traffic coming uphill, narrowly escaping collisions. Sometimes, the traffic coming downhill is going too fast for it to stop and this causes a bottleneck behind the stalled car on the other side.

Trespassing

At least two louvres of different balconies have been broken in the buildings on the St Joseph High Road in Sta Venera where the 7Up factory used to be. The place may be easily accessed by a person standing on the shoulders of another or on the roof of a van. Besides, the neighbours are not too impressed with the sounds of banging whenever it is windy.

Tones

The same may be said of regulations covering the level of sound allowed in residential neighbourhoods. Some people are already keeping doors and windows open; it is annoying to have to close everywhere because neighbours insist at playing their stereos at full blast.

Trash

In certain areas such as Sliema, garbage collections are made in the afternoon. Some take out their refuse at 6 a.m., even when they do not work. Certain areas appear to have been designated as unofficial bring-in sites, mostly the pavements next to business premises when these shut shop for the evening. This is unfair because the rubbish remains there for several hours, sometimes attracting the attention of stray cats and dogs.

Troublesome

Residents in the old church area of Birkirkara are continually disturbed by the barking and whining of a dog throughout the day and early evening, when it is apparently left alone without all necessary comforts while its owners are out. This is animal maltreatment and disturbance of public peace.

Typecast

Minister Austin Gatt has been quoted as saying the 445 bus shelters (402 in Malta and 43 in Gozo) will be increased by 51. Of these, 297 are of the new type. One hopes any new ones will not have an empty space between the roof and the wrap-around glass because commuters find to their chagrin that rain falling at an angle can get through and also wet the seat enough to make it unusable.

Taxing

Getting through to the Inland Revenue Department by phone is an exercise in patience. A recorded voice tells you that you are eighth, third or even first in the queue. However, in the latter case, the line falls before your call is picked up and, in any other case, the position never changes, even after half an hour of holding the phone between the shoulder and the ear while doing something else. Is it possible all calls are over 30 minutes long?

Totals

The number of births by Caesarean section, whether necessary or elective, has been steadily on the rise over the past decade. One wonders why this is happening. Is there any connection with whether the mother would have received fertility treatment or with whether the births were timed to happen on specific days?

Tickets

There was a time when anyone purchasing a public transport ticket before 7 a.m. was entitled to a reduced fee on the return trip, provided this happened before 6 p.m. One hopes the Arriva management will take this into account if more workers are to be encouraged to use their service.

Tasteless

A private radio station used to boast of laying stress on music and giving audience what they want. It now seems to have a schedule that is overloaded with adverts, interspersed with music. Not to say anything of the very talkative presenters, including one in particular who regularly verges on the arrogance, and the silly-scripted adverts. Can the Broadcasting Authority please ensure quality even in radio programmes?

Traffic

Motorists driving past the fish market in Valletta during the week early in the morning have to manoeuvre their way along vehicles parked haphazardly. Can the traffic police or traffic wardens make it a point to make a presence there every so often? That should knock some sense in the situation and avoid some bad accident.

Trench

The underpass in Floriana close to the Lion fountain was last year closed for weeks on end to upgrade it. Anybody who uses it now will rightly wonder what is there to show for the time, money and effort spent on the renovation job. Incidentally, who is responsible for its upkeep?

Titles

The Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti has issued a so-called definitive list of place names to be used henceforth in all printed matter. One wonders why the accents were left out of Tal-Virtù and Tal-Pietà and why Fleur-de-Lys kept its foreign spelling yet Guardamangia became Gwardamanġa.

Tints

Some time ago there was a great ado about how tints in vehicle windows were to be regulated and how car interiors had to be visible under certain circumstances. It is obvious that not all motorists have adjusted their windshields, rear windows and side windows to fall in line with this policy.