The president of a motorcycle advocacy group has expressed his anger at the perceived negligence of the authorities, which he says led to the death of a biker last week.
Dieter Vink, 54, died last Friday, two days after crashing his motorcycle into a skip positioned on the final curve of the St Paul’s Bay bypass before the Xemxija roundabout.
Writing on Facebook, Two Wheels Foundation president Tony Galea said: “A chimpanzee would have known that dumping a skip in the middle of an arterial road around a blind corner would create a major risk to motorists.”
Two Wheels Foundation represents motorcyclists through the promotion of safety awareness.
Galea added that he expected Vink’s death to be forgotten and swept under the carpet, “like all the other pointless deaths that result from someone’s negligence”.
Speaking to Times of Malta, he said Malta’s biker community was small and tight-knit, which meant every death was strongly felt.
A chimpanzee would have known that dumping a skip in the middle of an arterial road around a blind corner would create a major risk to motorists- Tony Galea
“I’m sick of going to funerals. It feels like our lives are cheap,” Galea said, mentioning the deaths of Johanna Boni, after being hit by a truck in 2015, and Marie Claire Lombardi, who lost control of her bike after it skidded on olives spilled onto the road in 2022.
Speaking about the experience of riding a motorcycle more generally, Galea said it had become more dangerous to drive on Malta’s roads over the past four or five years.
“I think it’s because drivers are frustrated by the ever-increasing traffic, which in turn leads them to drive in an impatient and careless manner. Right now, the situation feels like it’s beyond repair,” he said.
Aldo Overend, a committee member of the NGO, echoed Galea’s sentiments.
“We just hope this accident will lead to action because we can’t go on like this," he said. "While riding, I feel like I constantly have to dodge heavy vehicles, construction materials, fresh concrete and water leaking from bowsers, as well as reckless car drivers not taking us into account."
Official data shows almost 40 per cent of all road traffic casualties involve motorcyclists.
Vink’s family and friends have vowed to get justice for his death and are seeking legal advice.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds to cover funeral and legal expenses, along with a fundraising bike ride planned for December 28, starting at Mater Dei Hospital and ending at Vink’s second home, The Pitstop in Xemxija.