Actions speak louder than words, as the adage goes. When it comes to addressing mobility in Malta, however, it is the inaction that is deafening.

There was a vivid reminder of that earlier this month when Rota, our cycling advocacy NGO, issued an open call to candidates standing in the European Parliament elections to take part in a short ride from Valletta to Manoel Island.

As was reported in Times of Malta, only three of the 39 aspiring MEPs turned up on the day of the May 18 ride. All the participants were from the same party: ADPD.

For those unable to make the ride, we suggested they sign the votebike.eu pledge instead. That way, the candidates could show their commitment to the spirit of the European Declaration on Cycling, which was collectively endorsed by EU transportation officials in April. The declaration outlines the ways in which governments can make cycling safer with new laws and better infrastructure.

Five MEP candidates who did not take part in the ride signed the pledge; one from Volt Malta, one independent, one more from ADPD and two from the Nationalist Party.

That means less than one in every five of the Maltese politicians hoping to win a seat in the European Parliament could be bothered to support better air quality, lower congestion and happier and healthier people.

The silence from the Labour Party is especially dismaying.

The party’s European Parliament election manifesto claims it is serious about reducing emissions. At last count, 39 per cent of this country’s CO2 emissions were from transport.

And, as Eurostat data released late last year showed, Malta has earned

itself the dubious unwanted title of fastest-growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions across the entire European Union. In the second quarter of 2023, Malta registered a 7.7 per cent increase in harmful emissions compared to the same period in 2022, Eurostat found.

Not that one would know that from reading the PL MEPs’ manifesto, which claims that progress on emissions – which does not exist – is being “driven by impactful schemes that incentivise electric vehicle purchases together with investment in alternative transport options”.

This is just hot air. How did last year’s high-handed decision to ban rental e-scooters advance the emissions-reduction agenda? And, if so much is being invested in alternative transport options, why are 43 new licensed motor vehicles being added to Malta and Gozo’s roads every single day?

Bicycle lanes are barely fit for purpose- Peter Leonard

The Nationalist Party has barely performed better. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola has, so far, failed to endorse the votebike.eu pledge. She still has time to fix that, though.

The point of our challenge was to open the eyes of politicians to the scale of the difficulties ahead.

Credit where credit is due, the odd bit of cycling infrastructure has appeared in parts of the country in recent years.  But that is where the good news ends.

People who cycle on a regular basis will tell you that the lanes that have been created are barely fit for purpose. Lanes on the busiest roads give up at dangerous junctions, forcing riders into hazardous, fast-moving traffic. Many segregated bike paths appear to have been designed and installed by people who have never seen a bike, let alone ridden one.

Rota’s cycling challenge was a chance for legislators and policymakers to get a first-hand understanding of the issue. It was the best way for them to get a sense of why so few people are willing to let go of their car for even one day a week.

Most of Malta’s MEP candidates flunked the challenge this time around  but not all is lost.

At the bare minimum, the candidates who have not done so yet should finally get around to putting their names to the votebike.eu initiative.

The next stop will be to act. From their seats in the European Parliament, our MEPs will be ideally placed to press Malta to do better in freeing us from being slaves to our cars and solving the congestion conundrum.

Those actions will be heard loud and clear.

Peter Leonard is public outreach officer at Rota.