Letters to the editor – March 12, 2026

The lawless dawn on Malta’s roads

Alfred Grech of Mosta writes:

I usually avoid driving in Malta. I know the reputation of our roads and prefer to skip the nightmare. However, a few days ago, at 5.30am, I had no choice but to drive my wife for a medical intervention. What I witnessed was nothing short of shocking.

Even at that early hour, the lack of discipline was staggering.

Night traffic. File photo: Chris Sant Fournier

I saw reckless manoeuvres: Drivers were ignoring lane discipline, cutting across roundabouts and taking exits in a chaotic, dangerous manner.

I saw high speed: Excessive speeding seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.

I saw blinding light: Almost every vehicle was equipped with piercing white LED headlights that blinded oncoming traffic.It begs the question: Where are Transport Malta and the police? Is there no discipline left to enforce? It is high time the authorities stopped being reactive and started being proactive. We need heavy fines and consistent enforcement for these irresponsible drivers before the ‘nightmare’ becomes a tragedy for more families.

Lack of help when most needed

Allan Gatt of Birkirkara writes:

I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction with the handling of a tow-zone permit enforcement issue that occurred on the morning of March 5. What should have been a straightforward process turned into an avoidable ordeal marked by misinformation, lack of support, and complete abandonment at a moment of genuine need. 

A permit for a container truck was applied for at the Birkirkara local council on Monday, March 2 at 9.57am.

No objections were raised by the police. At no stage were we informed that a photograph of the affixed tow-zone permit had to be taken 48 hours before the event. This requirement only emerged after the fact, when it was already too late to comply.

On Wednesday at 2.05pm, we called LESA for guidance and were told simply to “call tomorrow”. We did so at 7am on the day itself. Three LESA officers arrived, only to tell us that the picture we had taken earlier was “not clear” and that they could not locate the owners of the vehicles blocking the designated spaces. They assured us they would assist and then left, without returning. 

When the container truck finally arrived, it had nowhere to park, leaving us blocking the road and under immense pressure. At 8.15am, in a moment of acute stress, we called LESA again. Shockingly, the response was an adamant refusal to offer any further help. The contrast between this experience and the media’s recent feel-good coverage of a LESA officer paying a taxi fare for a woman, is striking.

Acts of individual kindness are commendable, but they do not erase institutional failure. It is difficult to reconcile the image of a compassionate authority proudly promoted by the media, with the reality we faced: a lack of communication, a lack of follow-through, and a lack of basic duty of care. 

I urge LESA to look into this matter seriously. Citizens deserve reliable information, clear procedures, and timely assistance – not contradictory instructions and abandonment in the moment they most require help.