On the Dot...

Too many people are receiving duplicate bills from Maltacom, for amounts that would already have been settled. This is hard for those who are near illiterate, and so cannot decipher the bill except for the amount ostensibly due, as well as for the elderly who are upset at this type of treatment. Maltacom should remedy the problem without further loss of time.

Tow Zone

One would have thought that the bars and restaurants in areas predominantly associated with entertainment, such as Marsascala, Paceville and Sliema, would value the custom of patrons more than is actually the case. Sometimes, prices for food and drink are exorbitant, and the state of the restrooms is so disgusting as to preclude their use. One would think that a service charge ought to cover occasional trips to the toilets by a member of the staff in order to rectify the situation, and discourage abuses by the mere awareness that this is being done.

Lore and Order

If more police officers were seen doing their rounds at odd hours, rather than to a fixed time-table, would-be criminals and even ordinary miscreants would be less likely to try their trade, for fear of being caught. For that matter, police presence is likely to decrease, not increase, with the removal of flexitime for officers who have hitherto managed to combine duties with family life.

Heavy Metal

The residents of Toni Zahra Street, in Zejtun, are at their wits' end. Each time it rains, they find they cannot garage their cars unless they don sub-aqua equipment. The street has not been asphalted, and in inclement weather, it becomes flooded with muddy water.

Higher Purchase

The number of cars on the roads is always on the rise. Naturally, a number of these vehicles are not garaged, and they need street room for parking. It is still the norm for car dealers and mechanics to take up a number of precious parking spaces with their vehicles either in the hope of attracting custom, or because their workshops or salesrooms are not big enough. Somehow, these are the cars that are never ticketed.

Cover Up

It is good that Portes des Bombes has been reopened to traffic for the festive season. But now they should also cover up the "traffic slowing down" notices which were put up when the work started. The notices would then be uncovered when the work resumes, alerting motorists to the slowing hazard.

Water Swizzle

Media reports mentioned 22 cases of thefts of personal items at the national pool between May and August of this year. However, this information pales into insignificance when one learns of how many acts of vandalism and other thefts, of large items such as shower curtains, toilet seats, showerheads and coat hangers, regularly take place. Surely it is time for more security staff to be engaged, and a roster system introduced for them, backed by strategically placed closed circuit cameras?

Health Wise

Every time a boatload of clandestine emigrants comes to Malta, people who have appointments at outpatient clinics would be better off phoning before attending, to see whether appointments will be running late. These cases are always given priority. When inmates from the Corradino Correctional Facility also happen to have an appointment, they, too, jump the queue; and not all those who would have been waiting in line are nonchalant about this. Especially patients in desperate need of relief, whether or not their condition is life-threatening.

Ticket To Rue

This business of having to appear before a Court tribunal to contest an undeserved motoring contravention ticket has got to stop. Self-employed people often find they have taken a day off work for nothing, since when the policeman who would have issued the ticket is absent, the case is not heard. Sometimes, the fine stands even when there is no circumstantial evidence.

Step Aerobics

As local council or general elections near, candidates and their canvassers tick off lists of households visited, making umpteen promises that they cannot possibly keep. Occasionally, they slip up and thank people they would not have even visited, for their hospitality, through the post. In the interim, however, potholes grow larger, plots yet develop into micro-Maghtabs, and certain pet dogs systematically leave visiting cards in front of other people's houses. This is not good enough.

Short Lent

People are asked, by the leaders of different communities, be they the parish, schools, and clubs, etc., to make sacrifices during Lent so that the money thus garnered will go towards worthy causes. Unfortunately, the picture is totally different come Christmastide, where the motto appears to be spend, spend, and spend even more. Who will bell the cat?