Ill-designed cycling lanes

All this focus on cyclists' responsibilities on the road is unfair. It is indisputable that every road user should be responsible on the road, but why do we focus so much on road cyclists when they are generally the most cautious?

I think that most people seem to be irritated by the odd crazy kid who rides his BMX without any respect for the highway code. I'm both a road cyclist and a driver and I often stop these riders and show them that what they are doing is wrong and that they should be more careful on the roads. These kids are usually under age and do not know the highway code. Maybe it's about time we start teaching the highway code to everyone in primary schools. Even pedestrians need to know it after all. It's of utmost importance!

Some cycling lanes may be useful for kids on their Sunday ride with their parents at slow speeds but some are certainly not suitable for fast riders. First of all, cyclists on cycling lanes have to give way to cars joining main roads from side streets, and secondly some have a surface that is highly unsuitable for cycling at speeds higher than 15km/h (for example, Ħal Far and Mġarr bypass). It also doesn't help that joggers and some pedestrians tend to use cycling lanes as well and that it sometimes doubles as parking space (Marsascala).

The highway code states the following on cycling lanes: "These are marked by a white line (which may be broken) along the carriageway. Stay in this lane wherever possible".

It doesn't oblige a cyclist to use the cycling lane. It only recommends that one should use it wherever possible. It's sometimes impossible to use it when going at 40km/h or faster. Bicycles can easily reach 65km/h, obviously when the speed limit of the road permits. There's no doubt that most cycling lanes in Malta were designed by someone who's never ridden a bicycle on the road in his whole life. Maybe the Malta Cycling Federation should be considered as a stakeholder in road planning in the future.