News | Sunday, 08 February 2009

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50% of drivers had a puncture last month

James Debono

The ever-growing potholes on the Maltese roads have left nearly half of the Maltese drivers with punctures and other damages to their cars over the last month of uninterrupted rain showers.
The latest MaltaToday survey reveals the extent of the disaster on the country’s roads. While registration tax was exorbitantly increased in the last budget, so have the damages on cars caused by the roads’ terrible conditions.
A staggering 71% said their cars were damaged from potholes in the last year. Another half claim to have sustained more than two punctures or other damages in the past year due to the bad state of the roads.
Unsurprisingly, only 2.3% believe Maltese roads are in good shape.
Yet the government allocated a meagre €500,000 for patchwork and repairs in only 23 roads out of the hundreds of third-world rated roads and arteries. Contractors are re-laying the tarmac, but few are those who believe they are doing a good job given their abysmal track record.
As potholes mushroomed in Maltese roads after a month marked by continuous rain showers, nearly half of the Maltese drivers claim to have incurred punctures and other car damages.
More than two thirds claim to have sustained damages for the same reason during the past year. Another half claim to have sustained more than two punctures or other damages in the past year due to the bad state of the roads.
This emerges from a survey conducted by MaltaToday between Tuesday and Thursday.
Discontentment over the state of Maltese roads has grown over the past weeks during which turbulent weather has exposed the pitiful state of many Maltese roads.
But the absolute majority of the Maltese deem the state of the roads to be bad.
While 74% consider the state of the country’s roads to be bad, only 2.3% are positive about the state of the roads.
In the wake of popular anger on the poor state of the roads the government has allocated a €500,000 budget to repair 23 roads around the island by re-laying the tarmac.
The Maltese are slightly more positive about the state of the roads in their locality with 11% expressing a positive judgment.
When asked about the state of the roads in their locality respondents from the southern part of the island were the most negative while Gozitans were the most positive.
While only 33.3% of Gozitans consider the roads in their locality to be bad, in the harbour area and the south west of the island dissatisfaction with the roads rises to 73%.

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