Penis drawings of different sizes appeared overnight on and around potholes on Bellavista Road in San Ġwann.
Motorists woke up to a peculiar sight on Friday morning: a series of white, spray-painted phalluses adorning several potholes along the busy road.
Times of Malta spoke to the man who painted them. He said the unconventional approach was a desperate attempt to force authorities to address the "hazardous" potholes that have not been fixed "for months".
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli"This way they cannot ignore them. They'll have to fix the pothole to remove the penises," he said on condition of anonymity.
"At least this way, people can also notice them and understand that they are a hazard to motorists, especially motorbikes, particularly after rainfall, when most of them fill up with water and become harder for drivers to spot and avoid."
'I would have drawn more, but I ran out of spray'
The man said he woke up last night and decided to spray paint the phalluses in the middle of the night, having lost hope in authorities ever fixing them.
"I intended to paint over potholes along the entire road, but the can ran out of spray and I had to stop," he said.
Beyond the shock factor, he said he hopes his stunt raises awareness about the dangers of deteriorating road conditions.
Photo: Matthew MirabelliUneven manholes further compound the issue, he said.
"The asphalt around them cracks and sinks, creating more potholes."
This unconventional form of protest has precedents in other parts of the world.
In 2014, residents of a small village in Spain, frustrated by the lack of action on a crumbling road, painted a giant penis on the road surface. The audacious move quickly garnered media attention, and the road was repaired within days.
Similar incidents have been reported in the UK, where residents in a village plagued by potholes painted giant penises on the affected roads, prompting swift action from local authorities.
In Malta, authorities have yet to comment on the matter.
Questions were sent to the San Ġwann Local Council.