Shirtless under the scorching sun and wearing no hard hats notwithstanding all the dangers around them are just two health and safety thoughts that immediately come to mind when seeing this photo. It was taken yesterday morning during a visit to the Citadel, in Victoria, where restoration works are in progress.
Cold shower
A free car wash, especially after the recent spell of sandy rainfall, would, of course, be more than welcome. But getting a shower from faulty water sprinklers is another thing altogether. This happens regularly at the War Memorial, in Floriana, where the water sprinklers rotate and water the whole pavement, not just the green, irritating both motorists and pedestrians. Not to say anything about the water being wasted.
Good sense
New markings on the road connecting Hompesch Arch to the Marsascala bypass in Żabbar have helped bring some sense to traffic flow. The paint markings create single and double lanes in either direction, doing away with the notorious lane-and-a-half approach of the past. The move is indeed welcomed. However, although the previous road markings have been blackened out, under certain light conditions they still appear and can be confusing to drivers.
Locked in
The police sentry box outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Castille, Valletta has a major security flaw. The door at the side has a lock bolt… on the outside, which makes it very easy for one to lock the officer inside. And you only need a piece of wood to stop the sliding window from opening, thus barring all exits.
So to speak
Two streamers were displayed outside Parliament promoting an exhibition there. Both were in Italian though they did feature the Maltese emblem and the words in Maltese Parlament ta’ Malta. Should not one of them at least have been in the Maltese language? If parliamentarians fail to protect such a main component of our identity who will?
Filthy state
The Qui-si-Sana area in Sliema is extremely dirty and dusty and it is indeed rare to see any cleaners sweeping the pavements. More sweepers are a must but, in addition, water bowsers must be deployed to wash the streets and pavements on a regular basis. This part of Sliema needs special attention because of the dust and dirt emanating from construction sites, which have become a permanent fixture there.
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