I usually find the ferry between Malta and Gozo to be pretty good but there are two issues that bother me due to lack of instructions.
The first issue is that sometimes when you enter the ferry with a car from Mgarr (Gozo), you can't enter the normal way if there is too much traffic so you have to enter from another route. However, you have to travel halfway across town to enter from this new direction and there are no signs to tell you how to get there. I don't have a car at the moment but when I travel in the ferry by car with my family (who lives in Gozo) they know the route. I understand if you grew up in Gozo, you probably know the redirected route but how do you know where it is if you aren't familiar with the area? GPS would tell you how to get to Mgarr but I don't think it will show you an alterate route to the ferry entrance. You can't enter "Alternate route to Gozo Channel by car when the ferry is busy" as your destination on the GPS.
Another issue is that there is a place on the ferry for passengers to exit and a place for cars to exit, which is the garage. However, occasionally, passengers are asked to exit through the garage due to construction on the platform, which is fine. However, I am annoyed by the lack of instructions that they give in those situations, especially last Tuesday. Firstly, you hear a message to exit through the garage on the loudspeaker only once in Maltese so it is easy to miss. I don't know why they don't repeat it in English like they do other instructions. Secondly, there were no employees around to guide me to where I have to go. So I went through the garage but realized that I was on the wrong level. When I got to the front of the ferry, I realized that I was still on the middle level instead of the bottom level so I had to wait for them to lower it with hydraulics and then walk out with the cars. When I walked out of the ferry, since I was in the wrong spot, there was a gate blocking me from exiting and luckily an employee opened it for me.
I was upset because I walked into someone's side mirror and apologized but the man was furious with me. I know that I should have been more careful but, to be honest, I think that I was only partly at fault. Firstly, I didn't choose to exit through the garage. Gozo Channel made me exit that way. Secondly, the pathway to walk through the garage is very narrow between cars when the drivers don't fold their sideview mirrors, especially since I was carrying a big backpack. If there was a mirror on my left then I moved right and if there was a mirror on my right then I moved to my left. However, eventually there was a point where there was a mirror to my left and right, which left me no room so I hit one. Perhaps Gozo Channel should inform drivers to fold their mirrors until they drive off so that they give the pedestrians more room to walk. Lastly, it was not like I was being careless by running. I was just walking.
I was wondering if other people on this forum have a similar problem with the Gozo ferry. If so, is there any reason why Gozo Channel can't simply give better directions or put up signs so that it is easier to move? Is there a better route to take if you have to exit through the garage?Lastly, do you think that the blame for hitting the guys mirror was all or mostly my fault or not.
Lack of Instructions on Gozo Channel
If people say that it is all my fault for walking into the rearview mirror, then here is an example. Imagine if a boy leaves their toys all over the floor and his mother walks on one and breaks it and his father walks on another, slips, and hurts himself. Then the boy yells at his parents to be careful and watch where they are going. Do you think most parents would say, "Your're right. I will try to be more careful when I walk."? No they would say, "Pick up these toys so that I won't step on them."
Your posts infer that you have been coming here for a long time so you should know by now.
It is normal practice for cars going to the ferry at very busy times to use the main road down from Chambray roundabout and it is usually policed.
If you try and get to the front by going down by the Grand Hotel then you may well be sent up the hill towards Victoria to join the queue at the back.
Sounds OK to me, a bit unfortunate if you live in Ghajnsielem.
As for the passenger exit on the ferry, if they are not using the ramp then the announcement is normally in English and Malti, as happened today!
Last week I was on the ferry and there was a crew member at the passenger ramp exit telling passengers to use the garage via the stairs or lift.
I tend to look where I am going and don't walk into things!
Just out of interest, do they make announcements in America in English and Malti?
I don't understand what all the fuss is about as majority of trips passengers do not have to use the car decks.
F0xgl0ve wrote:Just out of interest, do they make announcements in America in English and Malti?
English is an official language. Malta is heavily reliant on tourism, especially Gozo. You'd think they want to accommodate tourists.
volcane wrote:F0xgl0ve wrote:Just out of interest, do they make announcements in America in English and Malti?
English is an official language. Malta is heavily reliant on tourism, especially Gozo. You'd think they want to accommodate tourists.
The announcement is given out in English as well.
Instead of having a rant on here, why not write to the ferry company if you feel so strongly about it?
I did talk to the ferry company. However, this is a forum where we are supposed to discuss issues relating to Malta and the ferry is in Malta so I think that this is an appropriate place to discuss the issue as well.
volcane wrote:F0xgl0ve wrote:Just out of interest, do they make announcements in America in English and Malti?
English is an official language. Malta is heavily reliant on tourism, especially Gozo. You'd think they want to accommodate tourists.
I was on the ferry this afternoon and they did just that, the announcement was in both languages.
jmuthe wrote:I did talk to the ferry company. However, this is a forum where we are supposed to discuss issues relating to Malta and the ferry is in Malta so I think that this is an appropriate place to discuss the issue as well.
.......and what did the ferry company say?
F0xgl0ve wrote:I tend to look where I am going and don't walk into things!
I tried to be careful and I don't walk into car mirrors everyday. However, as I mentioned before, the space between cars is very narrow if drivers don't fold in their side mirror and I was carrying a backpack. If the space between cars was much bigger and i still hit a mirror then that would have been different. If there is a better path to take that doesn't involve walking in between so many cars, that I am not aware of, then tell me. It was an accident. Are you telling me that you never broke anything in your life, dropped anything, bumped into someone, or stepped on someone's toes especially in very crowded areas.
A few years ago, I watched the news and there was a driver who got into a car accident due to his own fault and he had a bumper sticker that said, "Why am I the only one that knows how to drive?" I think that is a good cautionary tale because it shows us that we shouldn't judge other people when they make an honest mistake because you never know. Perhaps the day after you judge someone for making a mistake, you make a mistake yourself and look hypocritical. That is why I try not to freak out when somebody makes an honest mistake like bumps into me or steps on my feet.
I feel like I already addressed this argument before it was made when I used the example of a child that leaves their toys on the floor and then tells theirs parents to be more careful when they step on them. I believe that people should be careful when they move, but I also believe that people should try to create a reasonably safe environment so that people don't always have to feel like they are walking on egg shells when they move.
That is why we tell kids to pick up their toys, tell construction workers to not leave tools on the floor, tell painters to put up a "Wet Paint" sign, tell janitors to put up a yellow sign when they mop the floor to show that it is wet, or put a "Caution Road Work Ahead SIgn" when there is constuction on the road. That is also why I think that drivers should fold in their side mirrors when they are in the ferry (until just before they leave, of course) or parked on any narrow street. I did it all the time back home when I parked my car so why can't other people do it? Wouldn't you enjoy the extra space when walking through the garage or driving on narrow roads?
Gozo Channel said that they would pass along my suggestions. They might listen or they may not. However, the woman I talked to wasn't even aware that passengers sometimes are asked to exit through the garage.
Maybe if you made sure you were on the right level to start off with and left the ferry with the other foot passengers none of what you describe may not have happened.
I was on the wrong level because there was no employees or sign to guide me to the right level. You make sure of something by asking but there was nobody to ask. That's my point. When I finally found an employee, he told me to exit through the garage so I took the stairs until I got to the garage, which was the wrong level.
The reason why I didn't just walk with the other foot passengers is because when I see other passengers walking to the garage, it is usually because they came to the ferry with a car and are returning to their cars. I didn't enter with a car so I didn't follow them.
By the time i realized that all the foot passengers had to exit by the garage, they all left and there was nobody left to follow. I want to make sure that I only exit throught the garage when I have to. That's because there was an opposite situations where I thought I had to exit through the garage since I saw a lot of people heading that way, only to realize that those people I was following were returning to their cars.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Malta
When moving to Malta, traveling will undoubtedly be an essential part of your everyday life. Indeed, whether ...
The capital city of Valletta is a beautifully planned city utilizing the natural landscape of the Sciberras ...
Malta is a relatively small island measuring only 27km long and 14,5km wide, so it seems on paper to be very ...
Malta is world famous for its postcard-worthy beaches and beautiful landscapes. Indeed, this tiny island nation ...
If you are planning to live in Malta, why not settle and work in Gozo? Although it is quieter than the main island ...
Getting a resident card and a work permit in Malta is an essential step for any expat. Living in Malta does ...
