The lifts servicing a number of footbridges crossing busy roads, such as the Marsa junction and the Mrieħel bypass, are regularly out of order to the inconvenience of cyclists and pedestrians.
Infrastructure Malta, responsible for the bridges and their lifts, blamed the majority of the faults on “accidental or intentional misuse” that included blocking cabin doors or attempting to force them open.
This triggers an automatic system shutdown to ensure public safety, a spokesperson said.
He said the lifts on the bridges were covered by regular maintenance contracts and a 24/7 emergency assistance and repair service.
An Infrastructure Malta spokesperson said the lifts are inspected every morning.“The lifts are inspected every morning and, if any of them are not working, repairs are carried out immediately,” the spokesperson said.
“Infrastructure Malta is installing information signs to discourage misuse of bridge lifts and to encourage the public to report faults as soon as they occur so that repairs can be carried out in the shortest time possible.”
The issue was raised by readers who contacted Times of Malta to point out the frequency of the problem.
“The lift at the bottom of Vjal Sir Paul Boffa [Marsa] is out of order, this time the one on the Transport Malta side… Luckily, I could use the other lift near Schembri Batteries to cross over towards Marsa… Oh wait…. no! Out of order as well,” one cyclist wrote.
When contacted, Michelle Attard Tonna, president of cyclist NGO Rota, said that, over the past few weeks, several members had contacted the NGO to complain about broken lifts. Last weekend, all four lifts at the Marsa junction were out of order.
“The lifts are also there for pedestrians and for people using wheelchairs or pushchairs
In an attempt to speed up the repair of the broken lifts, Rota has created an online reporting system at www.rota.mt. The reporting page asks people to fill in which lift is out of order from a drop-down menu.
“This is a problem that needs to be addressed and not only for cyclists. The lifts are also there for pedestrians and for people using wheelchairs or pushchairs,” Attard Tonna said.
“The other day, I saw a man carrying two six-packs of water then attempt to cross using the Marsa bridge, only to realise the lift was faulty. The poor man had to carry the water up all those steps.
“In the case of cyclists, who I represent, if a lift is out of order, their commute ends there as it is not feasible to carry your bike, and bags, up and down three flights of steps.”
In some areas, she added, the bridge and lifts were necessary because the alternative was too dangerous to use.
Attard Tonna said Rota had long been telling the authorities that reliance on lifts was not the best option since, understandably, lifts that are in continuous use would eventually have problems.
Instead, ahead of the construction of the Marsa junction footbridges, Rota had suggested opting for ramps or pedestrian level crossings.
Infrastructure Malta said that, when possible, footbridges were designed to incorporate gently sloping ramps. Where space limitations prohibited the building of ramps accessible to all road users, footbridges were equipped with lifts that could accommodate bicycles.