Ilbieraħ, 15 ta’ Frar, Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, u Rota bagħtu ittra lill-Ministru għat-Trasport, Infrastruttura u Proġetti Kapitali, Dr Aaron Farrugia, il-Kap Eżekuttiv ta’ Transport Malta, il-Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi, u l-Kap Eżekuttiv ta’ Infrastructure Malta, is-Sur Ivan Falzon, jitolbu li r-responsabbiltà politika tintrefa’ għall-falliment tal-korsija tar-roti fi Triq Sir Temi Żammit, l-Imġarr, biex iċ-ċiklisti jinżammu siguri.
Il-Ħadd 12 ta’ Frar, ċiklist weġġa’ gravi f’ħabta ma’ karozza waqt li kien qed juża l-korsija tar-roti fi Triq Sir Temi Żammit, li twassal għall-Imġarr. Din hija triq li saret mill-ġdid minn Infrastructure Malta fl-2021, taħt l-awtorità ta’ Transport Malta u l-Ministeru għat-Trasport, Infrastruttura u Proġetti Kapitali, kontra r-rakkomandazzjonijiet infurmati mill-NGO lokali Rota.
L-organizzazzjonijiet jinnutaw li dan mhux l-ewwel inċident li jenfasizza l-insuffiċjenza ta’ din il-“korsija għaċ-ċiklisti” ġdida, u l-ittra miftuħa tagħhom issegwi ‘l fuq minn sentejn ta’ għajta pubblika mill-komunità taċ-ċikliżmu dwar l-istat perikoluż tal-infrastruttura taċ-ċikliżmu f’din it-triq. Issa, ċiklist kellu jbati l-inkompetenza tax-xogħol tal-awtoritajiet. L-għaqdiet qed jitolbu li r-responsabbiltà politika tintrefa’ u jtennu mill-ġdid li t-triq terġa’ ssir b’konformità mal-aħjar prattiki biex l-utenti kollha tat-triq jinżammu siguri.
L-inċident tal-Ħadd seta’ jiġi evitat faċilment kieku s-suġġerimenti ta’ Rota ta’ korsijii għar-roti segregati ttieħdu mill-bidu, meta ġew ikkonsultati minn Infrastructure Malta waqt il-fażi tal-ippjanar ta’ din it-triq fl-2020. Huwa kompletament inaċċettabbli li Infrastructure Malta naqqset il-proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni għal eżerċizzju ta’ tick boxing. Flimkien ma’ nuqqas sħiħ ta’ politika infurzabbli dwar l-infrastruttura taċ-ċikliżmu minn Transport Malta, Triq l-Imġarr fiha dik li possibbilment hija l-inqas korsija tar-roti li tista’ tintuża fil-gżira, tant dejqa li ġġiegħel liċ-ċiklisti jerġgħu jingħaqdu mal-karozzi li jkunu għaddejjin b’veloċità qawwija f’diversi punti. Dan jirrappreżenta pass lura, mhux ‘il quddiem, fl-inkoraġġiment tal-użu ta’ mezzi attivi tat-trasport u fis-sikurezza tal-utenti kollha tat-triq. Hija tal-mistħija li din il-“korsija tar-roti” fi Triq Sir Temi Żammit inżammet minkejja l-għajta mill-pubbliku, u li l-Ministeru għat-Trasport, l-Infrastruttura u l-Proġetti Kapitali ma qalx kelma dwar is-sitwazzjoni fit-tlett ijiem minn dan l-aħħar aċċident.
Fudamentalment, l-ippjanar tat-toroq għandu jfittex li jiżgura s-sikurezza għall-utenti kollha u jindirizza l-problema tad-dipendenza fuq il-karozzi privati. Żieda fil-penali waħedha mhux se tipprevjeni inċidenti fatali jekk l-infrastruttura tat-toroq tagħna tkompli tinkoraġġixxi l-karozzi a skapitu tal-mezzi l-oħra kollha tat-trasport. Għalhekk qed nitolbu li jinbdew minnufih ix-xogħlijiet ta’ disinn mill-ġdid ta’ Triq Sir Temi Żammit, skont standards internazzjonali tal-infrastruttura taċ-ċikliżmu, bħall-pjan propost mill-organizazzjoni Rota (https://www.rota.mt/mgarr-bypass-recommendations/), biex ma jseħħux aktar inċidenti evitabbli f’din it-triq. Nistennew ukoll il-pubblikazzjoni ta’ standards nazzjonali għall-infrastruttura taċ-ċikliżmu, f’konformità mal-ogħla standards internazzjonali, biex jiġi żgurat li fil-futur il-fondi pubbliċi ma jinħlewx fuq infrastruttura substandard u perikoluża.
Organizzazzjonijiet: Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, Rota
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Organisations send an open letter demanding the immediate redesign of Mġarr Road to prioritise the safety and efficiency of cyclists and pedestrians
Yesterday, the 15th of February, Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Rota sent a letter to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Dr Aaron Farrugia, the CEO of Transport Malta, Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi, and the CEO of Infrastructure Malta, Mr Ivan Falzon, demanding that political responsibility is shouldered for the failure of the bicycle lane on Triq Sir Temi Żammit, Mġarr, in keeping cyclists safe.
On Sunday 12 February, a cyclist was seriously injured in a collision with a car while using the cycle lane on Triq Sir Temi Żammit, leading up to Mġarr. This is a road that was redone by Infrastructure Malta in 2021, under the authority of Transport Malta and the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, against the informed recommendations by local NGO Rota.
The organisations note that this is not the first accident highlighting the insufficiency of this freshly introduced “cycle lane”, and their open letter follows over two years of public outcry by the cycling community on the dangerous state of the cycling infrastructure on this road. Now, a cyclist has had to suffer the incompetence of the authorities’ work. The organisations are now demanding that political responsibility is shouldered and reiterate that the road is redone in conformity with best practices to keep all road users safe.
Sunday’s accident could have been easily prevented had Rota’s suggestions of segregated cycle lanes been taken on board at the outset, when they were consulted by Infrastructure Malta during the planning phase of this road in 2020. It is completely unacceptable that Infrastructure Malta reduced the consultation process to a box-ticking exercise. Paired with a complete lack of an enforceable policy on cycling infrastructure from Transport Malta, Mġarr Road features what is possibly the least usable cycle lane on the island, so narrow that it forces cyclists to rejoin speeding car traffic at several points. It represents a step backwards, not forwards, in encouraging the uptake of active means of transport and in keeping all road users safe. It is a shame that this “cycle lane” on Triq Sir Temi Żammit has been retained despite the outcry, and that not a word has been uttered by the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects on the situation in the three days since this latest accident.
Fundamentally, road design should seek to ensure safety for all users and tackle entrenched car dependency. Increasing penalties alone will not prevent fatal accidents if our road infrastructure continues to encourage speeding cars at the cost of all other means of transport. The organisations are therefore demanding that works to redesign the Triq Sir Temi Żammit are started immediately, in accordance with international cycling infrastructure standards, such as the proposed plan by Rota (https://www.rota.mt/mgarr-bypass-recommendations/), to prevent further avoidable accidents on this road. They also expect the publication of national standards for cycling infrastructure, in line with top international standards, to ensure that in future public funds are not wasted on the creation of substandard and dangerous infrastructure.
Organisations: Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, Rota
