The end of summer, if it ever happens, always heralds a time of change.

The days are getting shorter and the traffic jams longer as summer’s hazy days are replaced with the impatience of sitting in traffic waiting for some ‘Chelsea tractor’ to unload outside a school, blocking some main thoroughfare.

Nerves flare, as is evidenced by the increase in road-rage incidents, and frustration reigns as a 15-minute commute quickly turns into an hour’s diatribe, usually acerbated by the incompetence of our infrastructure.

For me, idling in traffic is one of the most frustrating times of the day. There are only so many calming podcasts I can listen to while someone blocks the road to deliver produce or buy pastizzi.

There aren’t enough breathing exercises to stifle my screams at triple-parked Y-plates turning a two-lane road into a country lane. Our health and well-being, both physical and mental, are being affected daily by the exasperation of our commute.

On cue, Times of Malta ran an online poll asking readers if they would be willing to cycle to work if they were rewarded. Although 62 per cent gave an outright no, a surprising chunk of close to 40 per cent would be willing to consider this option… of course, depending on the reward. After all, if there’s one thing this country loves, it’s a reward.

I mean, look around you and see if you can spot plastic bottles along our promenades or beaches since the introduction of BCRS.

Let’s assume the reward for cycling to work is a financial incentive where, for example, you would receive a fixed rate of 25c per kilometre, capped at a maximum, for example 30 kilometres daily.

A similar reward scheme exists in the Netherlands to reduce the number of motor vehicles on the road. Given that the average commute in Malta is approximately five kilometres, a €2.50-per-day subsidy from the government to remove a car from the road during commute times hardly seems unaffordable.

However, more telling is that 62 per cent of the readers are adamant against exchanging their car for a bicycle to get to work. Presumably one of the main reasons behind this hesitation is because people feel unsafe cycling to work (or cycling in general), and rightly so.

The shift from car to cycle cannot only carry with it a financial reward but must also ensure cyclists’ safety on the road- Kristian Zarb Adami

There have been numerous headlines of cyclists injured on the road, and being an avid cyclist myself, I can testify to the general bullying cyclists often encounter from disgruntled drivers.

From this poll, which tallied over 3,500 ‘votes’, it seems clear that the shift from car to cycle cannot only carry with it a financial reward but must also ensure cyclists’ safety on the road.

Barring (or even including) an expensive upgrade in road infrastructure to include cycle lanes, authorities must find a way to guarantee cyclists’ safety on their daily commute.

One possible way to achieve this is by having transport officials, such as traffic police or wardens, leading cycle trains along busy roads. Another could involve highlighted cycle routes as alternative commuting routes to avoid major traffic arteries. Having officials from Transport Malta lead groups of cyclists will not only make drivers more aware of the cyclists on the road but will serve to legitimise a cyclist’s place on the road network.

There are many other options available to the government for reducing cars on an already overburdened road network, but a scheme that balances both financial and safety rewards would be hugely beneficial for a country, which let’s face it, could do with a little more exercise.

What is clear to me is that we need to shift our mindset from a national to a personal perspective. We need to ask ourselves whether we’re better off sitting in traffic cursing at our neighbour or cycling safely to our destinations.

Besides the obvious physical health benefits, arriving at work in a good mood, fresh from an endorphin release (and fresher still if you have access to a shower at work) must be something that is not only sought but supported by the transport authorities.

These same authorities should aim to contribute towards our mental and physical well-being by offering financial and safety incentives.

Kristian Zarb Adami is an astrophysics professor at the University of Malta and the University of Oxford, and cycles in his free time.