Pedestrian bridges show public space is for cars, not people – ADPD

Pedestrian bridges built across major roads show that public spaces are prioritised for cars rather than people, ADPD has said, while attacking the government’s record on sustainable transport.

In a statement Saturday, the party stressed that road design “favours private cars over everything else, resulting in congestion, pollution, unsafe streets, and declining quality of life”.

“The pedestrian bridges mushrooming all over major roads convey a clear message: most public space is not for people but for cars”, the party said, while accusing the government of paying lip service to sustainable transport goals while prioritising road widening.

The party instead proposed a strategy comprising redesigned roads, significant investment in public transport, including a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, promoting mixed mobility, preventing business take-up of pavements and encouraging active mobility.

The statement follows recent controversies over two proposed pedestrian footbridges; on Wednesday, Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat described a planned footbridge linking his locality with Pembroke as “horrendous”, with the council and residents saying they were not consulted.

And earlier this month, a group of NGOs criticised the government’s “cowardly attempt” to revive old plans for a controversial pedestrian bridge near the Kulleġġ bus stop in Msida while calling for a public consultation on the issue.

Speaking at the site of the proposed Msida footbridge, ADPD public relations officer Brian Decelis said that due to successive governments failing on mobility, roads had favoured vehicles over people, “leading to unsafe and inaccessible public spaces”.

Pedestrians were frequently forced to walk in the road due to commercial encroachment of public land, “exposing them to danger and reducing accessibility for vulnerable groups”, he said.

Meanwhile, the “rush” to build pedestrian bridges across the country had reinforced concerns that new infrastructure was favouring traffic rather than pedestrians.

“Rather than calming traffic and prioritising safe, direct crossings at street level, these projects often force pedestrians into inconvenient, inaccessible routes simply to maintain vehicle flow. Infrastructure should adapt to people, not the other way round.”

Decelis warned there was “no end in sight of decades of car-centric planning” following long-term planning failures and the government’s reluctance to reduce car dependency.

“This is not mobility; it is exclusion. Our streets should serve communities, not just vehicles or commercial interests”.

'Bold decisions'

The Green Party’s chairperson, Sandra Gauci, said the country was in urgent need of a shift towards a people-first mobility system, including reclaiming streets from businesses and reassigning road space to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.

ADPD proposed implementing wider, unobstructed pavements, street-level pedestrian crossings, protected cycling infrastructure and traffic calming measures in residential areas.

Investment in public transport should be “heavily” ramped up, with the party arguing that a BRT system is the “most practical, cost-effective solution for national traffic issues, centring on dedicated lanes, priority at intersections and increased capacity”.

Policies to reduce car dependency could include discouraging excessive parking provision and promoting micro-mobility options such as e-bicycles and kick scooters.

Enforcement efforts against businesses taking up pavement space should be stepped up, while transport policy should align with climate and public health goals, favouring active mobility such as walking and cycling, the party said.

“Malta’s future depends on bold decisions. Continuing on the current path will only deepen the crisis. By placing people at the centre of mobility policy, we can create safer streets, stronger communities, and a more sustainable country”, said Gauci.