Parking at one's own risk

I write to express my irritation at the car park attendants who inhabit practically every popular public car park in Malta. These are people who, rather than get a real job, or worse, in addition to a real job (or, more likely, unemployment benefits), decide to "earn" money by standing around parking areas and demanding cash off reluctant motorists. They do nothing to warrant the substantial financial rewards they reap.

The most a "parker" has ever done for me is "wave" me into a car park that I had every intention of using with or without his consent. This is as far as many of them will go in the way of physical activity - a slovenly gesture which does not even require that they get off their chairs.

The more enthusiastic attendants will, admittedly, extend their waving duties to "guiding" you into a parking space which you would have had absolutely no trouble getting into anyway. Having passed my driving test and parked my car hundreds of times with no help from anyone whosoever and without incident, I find it quite insulting to have somebody telling me when to turn my steering wheel and when to stop reversing.

Do these people offer protection to your vehicle? Can anyone honestly see one of these men waddling over to a group of aggressive youngsters and heroically defending a random car? They are obviously under no legal obligation to do so - their ham-fisted demands for money are accompanied by no promise of protection, no contractual terms and absolutely no binding responsibilities whatsoever. Standing sentry is obviously not part of their job description because they come and go as they please, happily abandoning any cars left in the car park to the mercy of thieves and vandals.

If any more proof is required that these individuals are indeed redundant, consider how many private and public car parks operate perfectly well without them, both here and abroad.

So why do people pay them? Having discussed the issue with quite a few people, the most common motive for giving money to them does not come from a sense of gratitude for a job well done but rather out of (justified?) fear of consequences should a motorist ever have the audacity to drive off without paying them.

I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the public not to encourage such characters by rewarding their laziness.