The tender to build a Grand Harbour bicycle network that was planned to be completed by the end of this year has still not been awarded.

That means that the government will probably fail to complete the first part of its €35 million cycle network plans by the new year.

In October 2022, Infrastructure Malta, under the direction of then transport minister Aaron Farrugia, had announced a plan to build between 50 and 60 kilometres of cycling routes over a five-year period.

In April 2023, the Ministry of Transport said the first phase of the bicycle network project, ‘C-SAM’, would focus on the Grand Harbour area and should be completed by the end of 2024.

Phase one of the plan focuses on connections between Msida, Pietà, Blata l-Bajda, Valletta and the Valletta waterfront.

Infrastructure Malta drawings of the project showed segregated cycling routes between those locations.

A tender for the Grand Harbour project was issued later in 2023 but sources said there were no compliant bidders, so the tender was not awarded.

The agency issued another tender worth around €13 million last June and applications closed in July. A bidder is yet to be awarded.

Transport Minister Chris Bonett was on Wednesday asked to provide an update on the government’s cycling plan.

He said the project is ongoing but would not say when the Grand Harbour phase would be ready.

“When I became a minister (in January) I wanted to take stock of the situation. I regularly speak with Infrastructure Malta and the project is still on,” Bonett said, adding that he could not give a specific timeframe.

“We’re working on it and we will make sure the project takes place,” he said.

Bonett said he has been talking to stakeholders since he was appointed transport minister and is now set on implementing land transport measures in an 18-month period, which includes C-SAM.

He said that the government is taking alternative mobility seriously and is considering the appointment of a cycling and walking ambassador.

“This person will champion this sector and will be responsible to push these projects,” he said.

In a reaction, the NGO Rota said it was disappointing that the first tender yielded no tangible results and that this project was already severely overdue. It however welcomed the high-quality standards outlined in the resissued tender,especially the inclusion of a 10-year maintenance plan.

Rota welcomed plans by the Transport Ministry to appoint a walking and cycling ambassador.

"We sincerely hope that the chosen individual will tick the box of being an active mobility user and not someone who has never walked or cycled from A to B in Malta. This engagement of relevant stakeholders will be essential to ensuring that investments in vital infrastructure are effectively allocated," the group said.