New & now
What in the world? Road markings in Lija leave locals scratching their heads
Onlyinlija.com

Jillian Mallia

Ah, Maltese road markings – either done impeccably or disastrous. There’s no in between. You might be thinking, ‘uwejja, how bad could it be this time?’ Mindboggling, reader. Mind. Boggling. Don’t believe us? Let’s walk you through it, shall we?

At first glance, what you see in this photo posted to a local expat group on Facebook is a massive ‘peek’ written on the floor, so your natural instinct is to go back to the top and read top-to-bottom: raelc peek. X’inhu? Imma jien qed niblieh? What does that even mean?

road mark

James Myatt via Expats Malta / Facebook

Then, you go back to the bottom and realise that it’s not ‘peek’ but ‘keep’ – ah… Then ding! A light bulb switches on in your brain – ‘Keep Clear.’ Illalu, bro x’wahda hawwadtni! With the letters being painted vertically (and confusingly) as they are, you let out a sigh of relief that no, you’re not going crazy and this is in fact a wacky situation. Scrabble much?

And it seems like we weren’t the only ones to feel this way. “It took me a while to understand what was written,” admits one Facebook user who commented on the photo. “I think those two drivers who parked their car there couldn’t read it as well,” another sarcastically said.

23rd November 2020


Jillian Mallia
Written by
Jillian Mallia
A book lover, writer and globetrotter who loves exploring new places and the local gems that the Maltese Islands have to offer. An avid foodie and arts fanatic, Jillian searches the island and beyond for the perfect settings to write about.

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