Mega projects sprouting up across Malta and Gozo must start doing a better job at catering for residents using bicycles to cross them, cycling advocates have said. 

"The trend in new mega developments often acknowledges pedestrian rights of way and access but often fails to realise that people on bikes need to cross public areas too," said Bicycling Advocacy Group spokesman James Wightman. 

Developments in Vittoriosa and Smart City featured a "forest" of 'no cycling' signs, he noted, contrasting that with the flexibility shown at The Point in Tigne, where owners relaxed cycling restrictions to suit residents' transport needs. 

Residents in high-end apartment blocks were more likely to be willing to use a bicycle to get around than the average citizen, the BAG spokesman said, with all the travel and health benefits that came with that choice. 

Allowing non-residents to cycle through large developments also made sense from a traffic standpoint, he argued. 

"It’s time that kind of thinking was built into planning applications, particularly if we want to go with bigger developments that bus services struggle to serve," Mr Wightman said.