Our legacy is lost

I retired a couple of years ago. With many others of my age, I spent my whole life playing my part to build a strong Malta based on very sound moral values to help us deal with each other, help and love one another and to pass this on to our children and their children.

In the space of a few years, everything went out of the window because of a group of unprincipled people.

We have all been robbed. They also took away our clothes and our pride. They mocked our national identity. We cannot but hide ourselves in shame and despair. Our legacy is lost. They took it away from us and threw it away, like trash. In turn, they threw theirs upon us. Money, money, the rich man’s world. In spite of its glitter, we abhor it.

Maybe ours will rise again when we are no more. This has happened many times before. And our children and their children will be there, to see it done. 

Tony Mifsud – Marsascala

Make it safe for bicycle and scooter users

With streets fully occupied by cars, polluting our open spaces with noise, hazardous fumes and danger due to reckless driving, we can only hope that more people start seriously considering alternative modes of transport.

As the current situation stands, the Sliema front consists of two carriageways going in opposite directions, parking spaces and a promenade. While bicycle and scooter users can make use of these carriageways, they face higher risks of accidents (potentially fatal) than when riding on the promenade.

This is due to the reality that bicycle and scooter users are relatively unprotected road users, interacting with traffic of higher speed and mass. As the infrastructure does not cater for all modes of transport, bicycle/scooter users are made vulnerable, making it inevitable for them to end up riding on the pavement.

Given that in Malta the tendency is to adopt a mentality whereby the car always comes first, the call from the Sliema local council is ‘justifiable’ – “better enforcement on low-powered vehicles and bicycles along the town’s promenade”.

However, this raises the question as to how much enforcement is being directed towards car drivers who make roads unsafe for more vulnerable users such as pedestrians, bicycle and scooter users.

Is the road along the promenade really a space where bicycles, scooters and cars can co-exist? Visiting a modern, functional city abroad, it is evident that pedestrian, bicycle and scooter users can co-exist. This inclusion is usually encouraged by the infrastructure itself but it is also afforded by mutual respect for all road users, especially towards the more vulnerable. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users, followed by bicycle/scooter users, motorcycles, cars and, finally, larger vehicles such as buses or trucks.

Allowing scooters and bicycles to go on the road, when the road itself poses an imminent danger towards non-car users, is reckless. However, each road user must respect the more vulnerable. Bicycle and scooter users on the promenade must respect pedestrian safety too and avoid close calls, respecting speed limits and always being mindful of their surroundings.

We call on the Sliema council and the relevant authorities to take steps towards making the space safer for all road users. For the shorter-term, a speed limit of 30km/h for cars along the promenade should be enforced to make roads safer for bicycle and scooter users, along with a solid no-overtaking white line. Additionally, long-term solutions such as having a dedicated cycle lane should be considered.

The main issue here is road safety due to a lacking infrastructure and reckless driving. More vulnerable road users do not feel safe in the streets and, naturally, seek an alternative.

It is high time that we start a shift in mentality in Malta and start looking at roads as a means to an end, getting from point A to point B, rather than a sacrosanct space for cars.

Daniel Vella, Public relations officer, Rota (formerly Bicycle Advocacy Group) – Ħamrun

Pedestrians should have safe pavements

I am an elderly person and, recently, I fell in Pace Street (Tigné), Sliema, injuring my wrist and getting bruised.

I thank God I am still alive and that I was not run over by an approaching car.

I was walking on the pavement and came across a slope near a garage and, although I was using my cane and wearing the right shoes, I slid helplessly sideways onto the street, falling on my side.

There were garages along the way and some big trucks were obstructing part of the street. A car suddenly came from behind them towards me as I lay on the ground. Thankfully, the driver stopped immediately and came out to help me. But I could not move and some workmen joined to help me up.

May I know who grants these garage owners the favour of a sloping pavement for their own convenience instead of allowing them a simple cement ramp in the street just below the pavement?

The authorities seem to forget that pavements are for pedestrians!

Such a practice can not only cause serious injury but even a fatal accident, as mine could have been.

It is shameful that there are such sloping pavements all over Malta and Gozo.

Think of elderly people, pregnant women, children, people on wheelchairs and people with pushchairs.

The Planning Authority, Transport Malta and the local councils all bear responsibility and should urgently stop the practice. They also need to get these dangerous pavements levelled up.

Had the accident I was involved in occurred in the US or in certain European countries, I would have been able to the garage owner and the authorities for huge sums in compensation for my physical injury and medical expenses, as well as the disability, pain and anguish that I am still suffering.

In some areas, it seems simpler to walk in the street than on the pavement but, of course, with the risk of being hit by a passing vehicle.

Pedestrians surely have the right to walk along a decent pavement at all times. To treat them otherwise is shameful.

Irene Pace – Sliema

Make it Sicily via Gozo

Departure times for the Sicily ferries – including the new price-challenging one – are set at times that make it impossible for Gozitans to use without missing a night’s sleep.

That is not a good plan for people planning to drive on arrival in Sicily.

Is it beyond their capability to put in at Gozo to pick up passengers there? It may add a mere 15 minutes to the journey time. But, since so many Maltese are in Gozo for such long periods these days, they may even approve the suggestion.

Revel Barker – Għajnsielem

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