One Sunday a month, a Żebbuġ road goes two-wheeled, with dozens of people turning up to cycle safely without having to keep an eye on passing traffic.

Since January, between 200 and 300 people including children have made it to Mdina Road on the first Sunday of the month for an event the council and participants hope the authorities will continue greenlighting for months to come. 

People even travel from Gozo to cycle with peace of mind, one participant told Times of Malta.

“Some of us are used to travelling to Sicily just to be able to cycle safely because unfortunately in Malta we lack the proper infrastructure. So, we’d gladly travel to Malta once a month if we know we can cycle safely.” the cyclist said.

Just one lane – the two-kilometre northbound section – is closed to vehicles between 6  and 10am for Żerniq bir-Rota.

For four hours, the carriageway is transformed into a two-way lane for cyclists and joggers, with children allowed from 8am.

Vehicle owners headed to Rabat are deviated through the parallel Central Link Road as Transport Malta and LESA officials are stationed at the beginning and end of the lane, while a nurse is also on standby.

The brainchild of councillor Steve Zammit Lupi, the initiative is meant to create a safe space for cyclists, whether to train or just have some fun – in a country where such spaces are scarce. 

“It is clear there is thirst for such initiatives – we all know how busy our roads have become and we are also aware of the need to take care of our health.

“In Malta there isn’t much space planned for people to cycle safely, so the local council decided to be proactive and unanimously gave the go-ahead for this monthly event,” Zammit Lupi said.

Żebbuġ Mayor Mark Camilleri urged the authorities to allow the council to continue holding the event.

“Ultimately, everyone is promoting physical education so we should continue with this activity,” he said.

The youngest participant was Nikol, aged four. Photo: Facebook

Participant Duncan Abdilla said  the road was one of very few that was closed for people to cycle at leisure – and not in a race – with peace of mind.

Fellow cyclist Pia Grech explained: “We usually cycle along the Coast Road, however, the lanes there end at random places and going around roundabouts is not safe, while buses also get really close to us.”

The initiative, she said, allowed cyclists to focus on pushing, rather than what is going on around them.

Last week, athletes who spoke to Times of Malta expressed frustration at increasing difficulties to temporarily close roads for sporting events.

A few days later, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said advocacy groups wanted to “prioritise bicycles over cars” and argued that the country’s lack of space meant that compromises were inevitable when designing new roads.

The event is open to all ages. Photo: Facebook