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instructors are prepared to teach their students how to handle the car to maintain their place within the traffic stream without causing everyone else to slow down. The two-second-distance rule is vital, the use of fifth or sixth gear is vital, and the students’ ability to drive safely within the parameters of our speed-restricted roads is vital. Never drive too slowly if road conditions are good and the traffic stream wishes to go faster, and most cer- tainly never drive faster than the law allows. Instructors must remem- ber that within days of pass- ing the driving exam novice drivers may be on European roads at speeds never con- templated locally. For an in- structor, teaching should mean how to drive cars for life and not simply to pass the practical driving test. Protective barriers I was recenlty asked by friends to use the Naxxar/ San Ġwann road at night and to note the state of the pro- tective barriers and kerbs. Frankly, as the mud- coloured barriers and kerbs were the same colour as the road in the old Mini’s head- lamps, at times when being dazzled we could see neither. The regulations state that protective barriers should be painted in black and white diagonals and should have reflectors mounted on them. It would also be a good idea to paint the kerbs white and keep them and the barri- ers reasonably clean. T he fact that traffic lights are working well in Mdina Road at the Aqueduct Junction is cause for Transport Malta to be congratulated and encouraged to do far, far more. Perhaps the hazardous junc- tion into and out of Mrieħel In- dustrial Estate from Mrieħel Bypass should at last (waiting since 2006) be made ‘Turn Left’ only. In the same way, now that the timing of the nearby traffic lights has been seen to, is it not time that the junction of Kennedy Drive with the Coast Road be made ‘Turn Left’ only as well? It may alleviate the dreadful traffic build-up where Naxxar traffic finds it hard to join the coast road opposite the salt pans. We recently managed to check the accuracy of the Mini’s speedometer against the super flashing speed lights on the St Paul’s bypass. Sadly, a couple of days later, we failed to get a proper reading with the X/19 Fiat as the lights were al- ready in rebellious mood. This was a great idea even if it was the precursor to people being booked a couple of hundred me- tres further on for disregarding any speed infringement. Transport Malta also had to veto, quite correctly, the mayor of Mellieħa, who wanted to make part of the main shopping street one way downhill. We sympa- thise with him for venting this de- sire during a public meeting. However, if offroad parking had been acceded to when sug- gested to the council in 1996, this chronic mess would never have been allowed to take over the council’s work. When the bypass is reopened, private cars can bypass the town by turning left at the bottom of the hill, following across the boathouse road until they can climb through Santa Maria Es- tate to miss the worst of the town. Mellieħa has a large retired population and in summer thou- sands of Maltese rent out accom- modation. Many people do not have the physical strength to climb up the steep hill that en- compasses the main shopping street, purchases in hand. Sad but true. The answer, unpalatable as it is, must be to reconsider the maximum size of both delivery trucks and public transport vehi- cles that perforce use Mellieħa’s principle shopping street. This is most certainly not a town for giant bendy buses, or even the larger Chinese imports. Learner drivers Am I the only driver being con- stantly held back on all the major single-lane roads I use by slow moving learner drivers? Without being unduly selfish and speaking from experience, as my last six months within the ADT were spent as a volunteer driving examiner, I would sug- gest that major roads are totally out of bounds to inexperienced learner drivers unless the driving HUGH ARNETT CAR TORQUE FEBRUARY 19, 2012 The Sunday Times MOTORING 3 Mrieħel Bypass This sign is a danger to traffic and liable to fall if very windy. Its outer edge can be no closer than 500 mm to the edge of the pavement or carriageway. St Paul’s Bay council have been requested to legalise its position twice. “Never drive too slowly if road conditions are good and the traffic stream wishes to go faster, and never drive faster than the law allows” Dear Editor In an article in e Sunday Times Motoring (January 22), entitled ‘Car Torque Rules are there for all’, the author, Hugh Arnett, raises an interesting point about the maxi- mum speed of vehicles allowed through traffic lights and pelican crossings. However, his assertion that traffic regu- lations are not clear regarding this issue and that 60km/h is a “stupidly” high speed for traffic approaching a pelican crossing is both incorrect and misleading for readers. It may interest Mr Arnett to know that specific design standards for pedestrian crossings have been legally binding under Maltese law since 2003. Maltese law requires that any person designing or building a road or carrying out maintenance or other work thereon shall comply with the ‘Design and Con- struction Standards for Road Works’. e UK’s Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) contains the relevant standards to be used by highway and traf- fic engineers for the design of roads, bridges, junctions and crossings. e DMRB was, in fact, adapted to na- tional technical standards under the aus- pices of the same German professor being referred to in the article. e design of pedestrian crossings is ex- tensively covered by Local Transport Note 2/95, published by the UK Department for Transport. is technical guidance prescribes the use of different pedestrian crossing types for different road conditions based on traffic speed, traffic volume, number of pedestri- ans and road geometry, among others. As a strict rule, a zebra crossing should not be installed on roads where the 85th percentile speed of approaching traffic is less than 56km/h, whereas signal-con- trolled crossings should not be installed where the 85th percentile speed of ap- proaching traffic is higher than 80km/h. In this respect, use of signal-controlled crossings on roads that have posted speed limits of 60km/h, such as Valletta Road, Mosta, is in full conformity with the DMRB and Maltese law. We would be more than pleased to pro- vide Mr Arnett with a copy of Local Trans- port Note 2/95, so that he may become better informed on the subject, thus avoiding the promulgation of incorrect data to the public. VICTOR BATTISTINO Senior manager, Customer Care and Media, Corporate Services Directorate.
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Protective barriers HUGH ARNETT The Sunday Times MOTORING 3 VICTOR BATTISTINO Senior manager, Customer Care and Media, Corporate Services Directorate. sixth gear is vital, and the students’ ability to drive safely within the parameters of our speed-restricted roads is vital. Never drive too slowly if road conditions are good and the traffic stream wishes FEBRUARY 19, 2012
Transcript of 003
instructors are prepared toteach their students how tohandle the car to maintaintheir place within the trafficstream without causingeveryone else to slow down.
The two-second-distancerule is vital, the use of fifth or
sixth gear is vital, and thestudents’ ability to drivesafely within the parametersof our speed-restricted roadsis vital.
Never drive too slowly ifroad conditions are goodand the traffic stream wishes
to go faster, and most cer-tainly never drive faster thanthe law allows.
Instructors must remem-ber that within days of pass-ing the driving exam novicedrivers may be on Europeanroads at speeds never con-templated locally. For an in-structor, teaching shouldmean how to drive cars forlife and not simply to passthe practical driving test.
Protective barriersI was recenlty asked byfriends to use the Naxxar/San Ġwann road at night andto note the state of the pro-tective barriers and kerbs.
Frankly, as the mud-coloured barriers and kerbswere the same colour as theroad in the old Mini’s head-lamps, at times when beingdazzled we could see neither.
The regulations state thatprotective barriers should bepainted in black and whitediagonals and should havereflectors mounted on them.
It would also be a goodidea to paint the kerbs whiteand keep them and the barri-ers reasonably clean.
The fact that trafficlights are working wellin Mdina Road at theAqueduct Junction iscause for Transport
Malta to be congratulated andencouraged to do far, far more.
Perhaps the hazardous junc-tion into and out of Mrieħel In-dustrial Estate from MrieħelBypass should at last (waitingsince 2006) be made ‘Turn Left’only.
In the same way, now that thetiming of the nearby traffic lightshas been seen to, is it not timethat the junction of KennedyDrive with the Coast Road bemade ‘Turn Left’ only as well?
It may alleviate the dreadfultraffic build-up where Naxxartraffic finds it hard to join thecoast road opposite the salt pans.
We recently managed to checkthe accuracy of the Mini’sspeedometer against the superflashing speed lights on the StPaul’s bypass.
Sadly, a couple of days later, wefailed to get a proper reading withthe X/19 Fiat as the lights were al-ready in rebellious mood.
This was a great idea even if itwas the precursor to people beingbooked a couple of hundred me-tres further on for disregardingany speed infringement.
Transport Malta also had toveto, quite correctly, the mayorof Mellieħa, who wanted to makepart of the main shopping streetone way downhill. We sympa-thise with him for venting this de-sire during a public meeting.
However, if offroad parkinghad been acceded to when sug-gested to the council in 1996, thischronic mess would never havebeen allowed to take over thecouncil’s work.
When the bypass is reopened,private cars can bypass the townby turning left at the bottom ofthe hill, following across theboathouse road until they canclimb through Santa Maria Es-tate to miss the worst of thetown.
Mellieħa has a large retiredpopulation and in summer thou-sands of Maltese rent out accom-modation. Many people do nothave the physical strength toclimb up the steep hill that en-compasses the main shoppingstreet, purchases in hand. Sadbut true.
The answer, unpalatable as itis, must be to reconsider themaximum size of both deliverytrucks and public transport vehi-cles that perforce use Mellieħa’sprinciple shopping street.
This is most certainly not atown for giant bendy buses, oreven the larger Chinese imports.
Learner driversAm I the only driver being con-stantly held back on all the majorsingle-lane roads I use by slowmoving learner drivers?
Without being unduly selfishand speaking from experience,as my last six months within theADT were spent as a volunteerdriving examiner, I would sug-gest that major roads are totallyout of bounds to inexperiencedlearner drivers unless the driving
HUGH ARNETT
CAR TORQUE
FEBRUARY 19, 2012 The Sunday Times MOTORING 3
Mrieħel Bypass
This sign is a danger to traffic and liable to fall if very windy.Its outer edge can be no closer than 500 mm to the edge ofthe pavement or carriageway. St Paul’s Bay council have beenrequested to legalise its position twice.
“Never drivetoo slowlyif roadconditions aregood and thetraffic streamwishes togo faster,and neverdrive fasterthan thelaw allows”
Dear EditorIn an article in The Sunday Times Motoring(January 22), entitled ‘Car Torque Rules arethere for all’, the author, Hugh Arnett,raises an interesting point about the maxi-mum speed of vehicles allowed throughtraffic lights and pelican crossings.
However, his assertion that traffic regu-lations are not clear regarding thisissue and that 60km/h is a “stupidly” highspeed for traffic approaching a pelicancrossing is both incorrect and misleadingfor readers.
It may interest Mr Arnett to know thatspecific design standards for pedestriancrossings have been legally binding underMaltese law since 2003.
Maltese law requires that any persondesigning or building a road or carryingout maintenance or other work thereonshall comply with the ‘Design and Con-struction Standards for Road Works’.
The UK’s Design Manual for Roads andBridges (DMRB) contains the relevantstandards to be used by highway and traf-fic engineers for the design of roads,bridges, junctions and crossings.
The DMRB was, in fact, adapted to na-tional technical standards under the aus-pices of the same German professor beingreferred to in the article.
The design of pedestrian crossings is ex-tensively covered by Local Transport Note2/95, published by the UK Department forTransport.
This technical guidance prescribes theuse of different pedestrian crossing types fordifferent road conditions based on trafficspeed, traffic volume, number of pedestri-ans and road geometry, among others.
As a strict rule, a zebra crossing shouldnot be installed on roads where the 85thpercentile speed of approaching traffic isless than 56km/h, whereas signal-con-trolled crossings should not be installedwhere the 85th percentile speed of ap-proaching traffic is higher than 80km/h.
In this respect, use of signal-controlledcrossings on roads that have posted speedlimits of 60km/h, such as Valletta Road,Mosta, is in full conformity with theDMRB and Maltese law.
We would be more than pleased to pro-vide Mr Arnett with a copy of Local Trans-port Note 2/95, so that he may becomebetter informed on the subject, thusavoiding the promulgation of incorrectdata to the public.
VICTOR BATTISTINO Senior manager, Customer Care and Media,Corporate Services Directorate.
