The alternative whipping boys

For the past two years, local wardens have been the national whipping boys. They are censured, criticised and condemned without trial almost daily in the media, to the extent that anybody would think that they are kin to the devil and that their sole pursuit in life is to callously and mercilessly harass innocent motorists.

It is not my intention to defend or criticise local wardens, other than to say that as in everything else in life, there are wardens who do their job conscientiously and others who do not. There are also those whose alter ego takes over when they don their uniform and could do with a little deflating. At the end of it all, however, we have to appreciate that they are ordinary people with inherent human weaknesses doing a difficult job to the best of their abilities.

The alternative whipping boys, the ones who do not get mentioned in the media, but who get verbally abused, sworn at and threatened with grievous bodily harm on a daily basis by the local wardens' "victims" are the local council staff - the executive secretary and the clerks.

Local council staff only feature in the local enforcement system to accept payment for fines, generate receipts and make available to the public specific information about fines that is displayed on their computer screens. Local councils provide a service to the public whereby a traffic fine issued anywhere in Malta and Gozo can be settled at any council in Malta and Gozo. That is the extent of local councils' employees' involvement.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the local councils who set the wardens' routes. A joint committee and the authorised officer set the routes. Local councils do not have any direct contact with the wardens and wardens operate independently from the council. Local councils cannot change, alter, modify, adjust or amend a citation.

If you believe that you did not merit a traffic fine, do not waste your time by arguing with and venting your frustrations on local council staff. Do not write and ask local councils to revoke a fine, whatever your excuses may be. Do not ask your lawyer/parish priest/employer or anybody else to intervene with local councils on your behalf about a traffic fine. They cannot help you. You can voice or shout your arguments as the case may be in person at the local tribunal, where the competent people will hear you and judge you upon the merits of your case.

When you are called to appear at the local tribunal - go! If you don't you will be judged guilty and get penalised an additional Lm10. Don't waste your time arguing that you were not notified. Somebody in your household signed for your notification and either did not give you the letter or, in all probability, macho you sneered and threw the letter away. Either way there's nothing you can do to rectify the situation other than paying up. And please do not propose paying a fine in instalments. It cannot be done. The system does not cater for it.

The amazing thing about traffic offenders is that they are always blameless and as pure as the driven snow. In Pieta', for example, most if not all of the people who come to our office, foaming at the mouth to protest about getting a parking ticket, come up with the most dramatic excuses to justify why they parked illegally.

Generally, the excuse is that either they or a member of their family suffered a serious/fatal/near fatal accident or went through a near death experience and therefore they could not spare the time to find a legal parking place.

In these cases, wardens are expected to have psychic powers or to be clairvoyants and identify the cars that belong to these people. The producers of Xarabank need not look beyond our shores for mind readers.

When all else fails they threaten to tear up their votes! Now why doesn't that move me anymore?

The truth is that parking space is limited wherever you go and people are loath to pay for parking. When you park illegally, you are taking a conscious gamble that you might or might not get a parking ticket.

It is pointless arguing that only your front wheel was on the double yellow line, or that you parked on the pavement or triple parked for two minutes to unload your shopping, or any of the silly, stupid lame excuses that people come up with to justify their breaking the law.

If you commit a traffic offence you have two choices - either admit and pay up or contest the fine at the local tribunal. Don't argue with local council staff. Don't swear at local council staff. Don't threaten local council staff. In the words of Shaggy, "It wasn't me"

Mr O'Dea is executive secretary of the Pieta' local council and public relations officer of the Association of Local Councils Executive Secretaries.