How many times have you slowed down for the occasional cyclist hogging up the lane? If you drive, the answer is definitely more than once. But who’s at fault really? The cyclist has every legal right to be on the road just as much as the person sitting in their car. In almost every country in the world, and Malta, a group of people prefer to use body power over machine power to travel. So why is that in Malta, it is so unsafe to even think of getting on a bicycle?
Well for starters, in Malta it is no secret that certain drivers break pretty much every rule known on the roads. Ranging from switching lanes without signaling, driving out of stop signs & even the famous driver on the overtaking lane driving at 30km/h. We’ve pretty much seen it all in Malta.
A photo posted by The Times of Malta showing the Tal-Balal Road roundabout cyclist marking
Secondly, the bicycle lanes are anything but safe. Certain roads even have a simple marking of a bicycle with the arrow directing where the cyclist needs to go. To hand it out to Transport Malta, the markings are pretty much the same as done abroad. Only the problem is, people in Malta do not drive like others do abroad. In most counties atleast. If there is one place which clearly shows just how poor the bicycle lanes in Malta are, it is the Gharghur roundabout on Triq tal-Balal. The roundabout has caused some confusion to motorists especially coming from the Naxxar direction, with it’s markings not clear as to whether people on the inner lane are allowed to go straight to the opposite exit on Triq tal-Balal.
Do you think we need a revamp into Malta’s cycling system? Have your say on our poll below!
Opinions Matter 🗣
