One of the social side effects of the COVID pandemic is that more remote working is carried out from home. People have been spending more time in their own neighbourhoods instead of travelling back and forth to keep up with their daily routines. This means that there is less daily commuting in cars or on public transport.
Walking has taken on renewed importance. But how pedestrian-friendly are our islands?
Recent research conducted by a doctoral student at the University of Malta focuses on walkability in Malta. A survey shows that people are discouraged from walking due to concerns about safety, as pavements are often very narrow or even missing altogether. Walking can also be unpleasant due to the amount of litter in the streets.
Pavements are frequently obstructed by rubbish bags, construction works or by cars parked on pavements. These are also obviously a real concern for persons with mobility limitations who cannot navigate easily around such hurdles.
In the survey, respondents said that they would be encouraged to walk more if pavements were wider, if there were more open spaces and urban green areas as well as less traffic.
During the first months of the pandemic, earlier this year, people flocked to the countryside. Indoor spaces were closed, including cinemas, theatres, bars and clubs. People looked for other ways to relax. This trend away from indoor entertainment is likely to persist for some time.
Once the weather changes, people will leave the beaches and again seek public open spaces where they can spend quality leisure time. They should not need to drive out into the countryside to do this. The popular and busy seaside promenades of towns like Sliema, Buġibba and Marsascala show that people seek out and enjoy walking in urban areas, not only in rural areas.
Here again, our planning system has proved inadequate and short-sighted. Heavy reliance on apartments as residences is inevitable in a country with such a small territory. Yet, the flipside of this is the need to provide more public outdoor spaces with good amenities and within easy reach, where people can socialise and unwind in urban areas.
Good spaces for walking are also beneficial to health. But this has not been adequately catered for.
We sorely lack facilities like public parks and green landscaped spaces. In general, the quality of street furniture and pavements is poor. Large trees in urban areas, which can provide pleasant shady spots, are a rarity. Pedestrian areas are limited. Outdoor seating areas of cafes and restaurants often take up precious pavement space leaving little room for pedestrians, or are too exposed to the pollution and dangers of traffic.
The quality of pavements matters. The sacrificing of urban gardens to construction also matters. To take one area, the size of the existing public garden at Ta’ Xbiex may be reduced while the promenade at Gżira has been obstructed and narrowed for months on end.
The government has long claimed to be encouraging cycling but the infrastructure for this is still inadequate. At least, though, there has been an increase in focus on it.
The same attention should also be paid to improving facilities for walking in urban areas throughout the island. Residents’ physical and mental health both stand to gain, to say nothing of providing oases in the midst of concrete jungles.
On this, our planners have let us down again.