The Coast Road is one of the few roads on the island that makes driving less stressful for most drivers, if only the authorities enforce regulations. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as blatant abuse is still evident.
Every weekend, tens of motorcycle enthusiasts and even some fast car owners use the Coast Road as a racing track. This abuse is so tolerated that one can typically spot professional photographers snapping pictures of racing vehicles. Their owners are even happy to pay a fee for immortalising their abuse in photographs.
Police cars can often be seen passing by without any attempt to sanction this abuse. Transport Malta and LESA officials are usually nowhere to be seen, especially on weekends when this abuse is more blatant.
The speed cameras on the Coast Road are not enough to curb speeding. Drivers have perfectioned their skill to slow down at the right moment so as not to be spotted by the speed cameras.
Many have complained to the police, Transport Malta and LESA about this abuse. But no one seems to care for the safety of road users, including cyclists. The authorities are sending the message that it is acceptable to break the law as long as you do not get caught.
Speeding is not the only abuse on the Coast Road. After last summer’s public outcry against the illegal encroachment on the shoreline at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and other seaside resorts, the Department for Local Government issued Regulations on the Temporary Placement of Caravans and Campers in summer “to address any abuse that may have occurred”.
Still, this abuse is not only being tolerated but sanctioned by administrative decisions.
It is even more evident that clientelism is still embedded in the mindset of some public administrators.
The newly elected mayor of Naxxar, Chris Deguara has spoken about the way local councils are being stripped of their power to enforce sensible regulations.
“In the past, local councils would assign caravans to designated sites, yet, now, they can claim a space anywhere they want. The government says the reason for taking on the direct permitting of the caravan siting was to create a deterrent against the abuse of public spaces,” he said.
However, Deguara insists that the system was already undermined by the fact that he has himself, without being a caravan owner, managed to pay the reduced 50 cents daily concession for over-60s to site a caravan in a non-designated site – the Naxxar main square.
The prime minister recently claimed that his government will be more focused on listening to the complaints of ordinary people.
Many may not care much about the big picture of national politics but are affected by the government’s inability to protect them from the abuse and the law-breaking of some with an excessive sense of entitlement.
The abuse and law-breaking on the Coast Road are not an exception to the authorities’ lack of commitment to enforce the law consistently.
The public officials responsible for what is or is not acceptable behaviour in the use of public land must stop exchanging nods and winks with their political masters.
People have a right to use the roads and public areas without being exposed to the risks of petrolheads who decide when to use our roads as racing tracks. They also have a right to access public spaces on the shoreline without being prevented by weak regulations that hardly have any effect as a deterrent for those who decide to abuse others’ rights.