Traffic lights still out

Weeks after a story on defective traffic lights appeared in The Times, the same lights are still not working.

When the story first appeared, on August 3, it was stated that some bulbs had not been working for two weeks. Seven weeks later, bulbs at the Mriehel bypass, St Anne Street in Floriana, and a few others on the Msida junction are still as they were.

The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) is responsible for the traffic lights, but maintenance is carried out by the Maintenance and Servicing Department of the Works division.

A spokesman for the ADT said when contacted there was a technical problem with some of the lights and the department was still waiting for spare parts.

"A programme is being drawn up to make maintenance more efficient. Instead of hiring a high-up to replace bulbs when they are spent, the authority is contemplating hiring such a vehicle for a week and carrying out a maintenance programme around the country, changing all the bulbs just before their life span expires.

"A bulb is expected to last around 14 months and they would be serviced before their time is up.

"But we are still working on it and we need to liaise with the Works Division about the matter," the spokesman said.