People with limited mobility and cyclists had to find alternate ways to cross Vjal Sir Paul Boffa as an inoperative lift prevented them to getting to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the arterial road.
The bridge connects commuters wanting to get from Paola to Marsa and vice versa and is a main connection between the south and the rest of Malta for cyclists, pedestrians and e-scooter riders.
Those with mobility issues rely on the lift, which was broken since Friday – and only repaired late yesterday afternoon – to cross the Marsa junction area.
Lifts leading to pedestrian bridges that cross main roads have been a bone of contention since they were included in new arterial road projects during Ian Borg’s tenure as transport minister.
Carbon copy pedestrian bridges have been installed at the Mrieħel bypass, the Marsa-Ħamrun bypass and the intersection leading to Aldo Moro Road, in Marsa. Cyclists and pedestrians regularly complain of lifts being out of order.
An independently run “report a broken lift” initiative by mobility NGO Rota saw 87 complaints since November 2021.
This is despite Infrastructure Malta’s claims that lifts are inspected daily.
The two Vjal Sir Paul Boffa lifts are most often reported as being out of order.
Fifty-eight of the 87 broken lift reports filed were about these two particular lifts leading to the bridge.
One commuter had to carry her e-bike, weighing some 25 kilogrammes, up the stairs since the lifts were out of order.
The first report of the malfunctioning lift was sent to Rota last Friday.
“This is not cycling infrastructure; I have had to carry my bike two flights of steps to cross. The lift has been out of order for a number of days and has been reported twice now,” Suzanne Maas, a cycling expert and daily commuter, said on the cycling Facebook group Komunità Rota.
Samantha Pace Gasan, Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said: “The lift ensures accessibility. It is essential that continuous maintenance and upkeep is ensured so that access is provided.
“In cases when the lift is not working, reasonable accommodation, hence alternative means that provide access is to be provided. “
An Infrastructure Malta spokesperson said the lifts are inspected daily and the broken lift was reported to the supplier who made an initial assessment of the damage.
Infrastructure Malta seems to be listening to calls from Rota to focus on street-level crossings and do away with lifts and pedestrian bridges.
Initial plans to include a stair and lift pedestrian bridge in the Msida Creek project were scrapped in favour of street-level crossings in the revised plans.