Back in April, I was on my usual way to the Birkirkara bypass from Attard through Balzan, and although I usually go down Main Street, Balzan up to the Balzan Police station and then on to the bypass, on that day I strangely found no traffic on my way down Main Str. Since Easter was the following Sunday and my niece had already started school holidays, I thought that there probably were no classes at Balzan school, allowing me to pass through the road in front of the school and the University residence.
When I approached the school and arrived near the ‘No Entry’ sign for school days, I stopped near the sign. It was 8.13am. I saw no children in the road but I saw a warden at the end of it. He was not looking in my direction, so I sounded the horn and flashed my light to attract his attention and wait for some ‘no entry’ signal. He looked but made no sign to me; he was standing beside a crane.
So I concluded that the warden was with the crane and that school was off, so I proceeded at a very slow speed. When I arrived near the warden he stopped me and told me that I did a contravention since school was on! I protested that he did not give me a signal not to enter, so that he was therefore there to collect fines and not to protect children. He proceeded to issue the fine.
I went to the tribunal and was dispensed with a warning. The warden appealed and somehow I did not explain my case well enough to the magistrate, leading him to endorse the fine! This I felt to be most unjust, since at no instance did I have any intention of breaking the law.
Hence to avoid such misunderstandings, may I suggest that where there are signs that are not always applicable a triangular sign is placed on the ground near the ‘No Entry’ sign saying ‘School Day’, unless a barricade can be set up as they do near the Attard school and children are well protected and no fines are issued. I strongly feel that the first priority of a warden is to teach and only to issue fines for ‘me ne frego’ attitudes.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Search:
MALTATODAY
BUSINESSTODAY
Download MaltaToday Sunday issue front page in pdf file format
