Cynthia Busuttil
Bicycles the 'underclass' of roads
Cyclist George Debono cycling to Valletta for a meeting with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Right: the bicycle lane along the Coast Road is a narrow squeeze for motorists. Photos: Chris Sant Fournier.
Badly designed bicycle lanes are more dangerous than none at all, keen cyclist George Debono has warned.
Many lanes are narrow, separated from the road by a mere painted line that stops abruptly, leaving cyclists with no choice but to veer onto the road.
Dr Debono, a retired clinical researcher, said many lanes around the island were not maintained, full of shards of glass and other rubble.
He feels just improving cycling lanes is only part of the solution to a problem that ended in tragedy last week when cyclist Cliff Micallef died after being run over by a car on the coast road. Anthony Taliana, a 21-year-old from Ħamrun, has since been charged in court with his manslaughter.
Dr Debono said there was an urgent need for a change in mentality among motorists, who considered themselves kings of the road and disrespected cyclists and the need for safety.
"You have an incident almost every time you go out on the road. Wherever you are, you are threatened by cars. In the past weeks I was almost killed on two occasions," he said.
On one of these occasions, Dr Debono was nearly hit by a car that whizzed past while he going round a roundabout in Floriana, and the second time he came close to being crushed against a wall by a private coach while riding along Naxxar Road.
"There is a lack of respect and understanding," he said.
However, he added the majority of motorists were decent drivers, and it was some 20 per cent who were responsible for the hazards cyclists regularly faced, with the main culprits being buses, taxis and heavy vehicles.
Dr Debono believes tough legislation to protect cyclists should be in place and motorists who do not abide by the rules should be slapped with hefty fines.
Among his proposed measures is that motorists should leave at least one metre of space when overtaking a cyclist. He said other countries where he had lived, including Switzerland, France, Denmark and the UK, had regulations that safeguard cyclists' safety. In Denmark, motorists drive in great fear of hitting a cyclist.
"We cannot have the whole of Malta's road network covered by cycling lanes, which means cyclists have to mingle with traffic. Therefore, motorists' attitude must change," he said, adding he worried whenever his 15-year-old grandson went cycling.
He insisted people who drew up the regulations should have a knowledge of cycling, including those who designed bicycle lanes.
"It is not enough to have a pail of paint and use it to create lanes," he said.
It was not just motorists' attitude that could do with some improvement. Last year, Dr Debono had his details taken by a policeman when he tried to rest his bicycle against one of the cannons in front of Castille.
He had an appointment with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to present him with a report on pollution and energy conservation in Malta, drawn up by The Today Public Policy Institute. The report said bicycles were still the underclass of the roads and many drivers harboured an antagonistic attitude towards them.
"Cycling is justifiably perceived as unsafe because motorists are not conditioned to respect cyclists who have to share the road with them. Cyclists feel unprotected on the road because, owing to the lax attitude of law enforcers and courts, motorists feel immune from serious repercussions if they are responsible for injuring a cyclist," the report said.
Ultimately, cycling has health benefits. At 73, Dr Debono said he felt as if he was still in his 20s and attributed a lot of his good health to his regular cycling. Moreover, bicycles do not emit fumes, in turn reducing pollution.
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James Craig Wightman
Aug 7th 2009, 17:55
Just to soothe the waters a little, there seems to be a lot of bike bashing in this thread, but the bottom line is bicycles BENEFIT car drivers, there are more parking spaces and shorter traffic queues. Whats your problem? Overtake when its safe to do so don't just barge past, I don't need a cycle lane on our horrendeously narrow roads just a little respect and perhaps a road smooth enough not to bend a 700C wheel. Vent your anger on the ADt who created space gobbling cycle lanes that are a waste of time, money and space - they need to be flat and planned - not splash (paint) and grab! Cyclists had nothing to do with planning them. If you think its easy I challenge you to a race, only one rule you push your car I'll push my bike... fair, no? Be greetful, gracious enough to thank cyclists for the extra spaces they leave you when you get to your destination. The alternative is for everyone to drive cars, or not as the case may be, because if that happens you'll be stuck the mother of all traffic jams. BTW nice one George
George Debono
Aug 7th 2009, 13:06
@ George Busuttil
RE “We motorist expect cyclists to be responsible too…………... a cyclist who had his hands on his lap and not on the handlebars……..”
Agree ….but
George, what you describe is not a mortal sin – possibly a venial sin – no, probably not even that. I do myself ride for a while like this every now and then to straighten & relax my back. Don’t worry, the bike is still under control - at the least sight of a bump or pothole (and a cyclist sees these far more than somebody in a car) the hands are instantly back on the handlebars. I can assure you that a cyclist will not do that where he cannot see the road surface - as at night.
As a matter of interest road humps are a serious menace to cyclists. I once hit one coming downhill and flew off the bike (of course both hands were on the handle bars) .
G
George Debono
Aug 7th 2009, 12:54
@Saviour Sam Agius
Hello Saviour Sam – fellow cyclist !
Agree with all you say !\
You might find part III of the report, which features in the article, interesting
If you (or anybody else) wish to have a look, the report is available from
gdmc@kemmunet.net.mt
Good luck
Take care
G
Saviour Sam Agius
Aug 7th 2009, 09:50
Overtaking a bicycle is not any different from overtaking any other vehicle on the road.
One more thing that I have forgotten to mention about the "cycling lane" in Ħal Far.
Close to the freeport there are traffic signs right in the middle of the cycling lane. Are we supposed to ride through them as well?
Saviour Sam Agius
Aug 7th 2009, 09:47
@ “They cycle in pairs or even in threes along this road that is just one lane .To overtake them you have to cross the central line”
Albeit it is wrong to ride abreast and it should be condoned, you're still expected to cross the middle line in order to overtake a cyclist, just like what you'd do to overtake a car or a motorbike. This idea that you can overtake a cyclist just by giving him 2 inches of room is totally unsafe. What if there's a pothole on the side of the road (there are loads of them) and the cyclist must sway a little bit to avoid it? How about those long vehicles that create so much turbulance when they go past you? What if a car comes from the opposite direction and the driver forgets that he's overtaking a cyclist in the meantime? This has happened to me once. I was cycling in Burmarrad when a driver overtook me without checking the oncoming traffic and in order to get out of an imminent head-on collision he pushed me onto the pavement.
Saviour Sam Agius
Aug 7th 2009, 09:34
The Ħal Far road "cycling lane" is not a good one at all and as George Debono said, it's better not to have a cycling lane than to have a bad one. Cycling lanes should not be on pavements ideally and if they are they should be surfaced with tarmac and not with cobble stones or bricks! Otherwise it would be more appropriately described as a torture path than a cycling path.
Apart from that a cycling lane should not be interrupted, just like the main road for cars. If a cycling lane is interrupted cyclists have to get out on the road and surprise the motorists with their abrupt presence. It's better to be on the road the whole time than to go on and off.
Thirdly, the cycling lane in Ħal Far is too narrow for two-way traffic. It is also interrupted constantly by exists to and from fields and sideroads. The stop sign for such sideroads should be painted further back and give the right of way to cyclists coming down the main road. Cars don't have to stop at every side road, so why make the cyclists do so?
George Busuttil
Aug 7th 2009, 07:44
We motorist expect cyclists to be responsible too. Only this morning between Zabbar and Fgura I was driving behind a cyclist who had his hands on his lap and not on the handlebars. A small stone or hole in the road would have sent him sprawling under the oncoming traffic with who knows what serious consequenses to him and other drivers.
George Debono
Aug 6th 2009, 17:23
@JOHN BUHAGIAR @ the damage done by young cyclists (Under 16 years)?@they drive around cars in busy traffic lanes,@on pavements, @wrong way in one-way streets. @They can cause damage worth hundreds of euros simply by hitting a car, causing no personal injury. surely you were once a 16 years old? Now tell me honestly – didn't you do exactly the same when you were young? But this is only on a bicycle – and kids are enormously nimble and…………I challenge you to quote one single case where a cyclist has harmed, let alone killed, anybody while indulging with this normal healthy adolescent behaviour? Or even harmed a car? Riding on pavements is anyway their only choice . Roads are much much more dangerous than they are on a pavement. Kids also have wonderfully fast avoidance reflexes and are not aggressive as adult motorists often are…. @They sometimes drive on pavements at "considerable speed". By the same token, we now have barely older kids doing the equivalent of the 16 year-olds – but with powerful cars which are lethal weapons that can inflict death at one blow. Yes these kids are being naughty – but please let’s be tolerant
George Debono
Aug 6th 2009, 15:57
@I. Cilia
Thanks for the comment.
But……………..@ motor vehicle owners that pay for road use.
AW come on !!!!
And so they should-
they need a wide road, they pollute, need more facilities as traffic lights pedestrian crossings…..you name it!
In terms of national health, pollution IS expensive– both for pollution-related illness (esp asthma) and for motor accidents which cost the earth in hospital usage.
Imagine that cars did not exist – we wouldn’t need acres of tarmac and all that road paraphernalia. Just pathways.
The more important point is that just because “motor vehicle owners that pay for road use’ for using their polluting, space occupying (etc) cars, this does not entitle them to endanger other harmless little road users such as pedestrians and their dogs, children and (dare I say it?) – cyclists.
As to the matter of my parking at Castille - the event that triggered the whole story was a negative over-reaction to a cyclist of from policeman. (I don’t blame him – it is just an institutionalized attitude) and what ensued was, in fact a hilariously funny story – if you buy me a drink I’ll come out & tell you all about it!
L Bonnici
Aug 6th 2009, 15:23
@ J Farrugia
Since when are Maltese roads referred to as highways? Please give me reference where you found this! I'm just curious to read!
I agree perfectly with Jason Debono... he's one who really knows what's happening and the risk cyclists go through just to practice their favourite sport!
J. Debono
Aug 6th 2009, 15:05
@J. Farrugia
From your comment it is evident that you never rode a bike!
Actually cycling in twos or threes is actually much safer for the cyclist IN MALTA, that cycling in a line, the reason being that first you're more visible, and secondly cars only overtake you if the other lane is free, whilst if cyclists cycle in a line, the probability is that cars try to overtake them even if a there is opposing cars coming your way, and literally try to squeeze you out of the way.
@ l. Ebejer
What you are refering to is a pavement with some paint saying bicycle lane, BUT it is a pavement NOT a BICYCLE LANE.
I. Cilia
Aug 6th 2009, 14:19
good feature by George Debono.. it certainly shows the dangers that cyclists face when cycling around on main roads..
One has to keep in mind however, that it is motor vehicle owners that pay for road use.. cyclists and other users (such as horses) do not... in both cases if an accident when these are at fault happens, the other parties are usually not compensated...(particularly when a horse is frightened and bolts off)
I would suggest that an appropriate legislative framework is set up to include all road users and if necessary these would need to pay for it (albeit at a much reduced fee) therefore gaining the same rights as other paying road users.
Mr Debono, your case of parking at Castille was mentioned in this article. In this instance I believe that even though your cause was noble, the PC had all the right to book you since one has no right (cyclist or not) to park his "vehicle" at the front door of the Office of the Prime Minister.. if cyclists want the same rights as vehicle owners, they should at least respect the Highway Code and other traffic regulations...
J Farrugia
Aug 6th 2009, 14:02
@ L Bonnici - go look it up in the Highway code. Bicycles are to drive one after the other and not in pairs unless off course you are in a competition where roads are closed to all traffic. And you've got to have lights on the bicycle as well as highlighter marks for nighttime.
Martin Norge
Aug 6th 2009, 13:50
While i ride a bike also and have had a motorbike in the past i can see both side of the argument. When i am out and about i can see cyclist's out as though they are on the tour de malte taking up most or all of the road then on the other side of the coin i see motorists drive by with barely 6 inchs between car and pedal. Maybe what we need is to step back and be more considerate to each other. What if cyclists where to pedal in single file and use the cycle lanes ( By the way they are the same as in Denmark and other countries. they both use the same strech of pavement) and car drivers to slow down and only overtake when prudent to do so.
JOHN BUHAGIAR
Aug 6th 2009, 13:38
Who is responsible for the damage done by young cyclists (Under 16 years)? they drive around cars in busy traffic lanes, on pavements, wrong way in one-way streets. The road belongs to them. They can cause damage worth hundreds of euros simply by hitting a car, causing no personal injury. They sometimes drive on pavements at considerable speed and can easily seroiusly injure persons coming out from their houses on to the pavement. They should at least be registered by their parents at the local police station if they are to drive on the public roads. If one had to complain to parents about damage caused by their children usig bikes the usual Maltese answer would be "Well I didn't send him." Or, if you happen to be unfamiliar with the local system go to court to ask for compensation It s about time that there is some sort of insurance for damage underage cyclists can cause.
Adrian Cardona
Aug 6th 2009, 13:16
@Charles Taliana
If you are trying to compare European super-highways with our network of badly maintained dirt tracks, you are way way off the mark! The hghways you mentioned are designed for busy and very fast flowing traffic in excess of 100km/hr, whereas our roads are simply tarmacked stretches with speed limits of 60km/hr unfortunately. If the idiots who are designing super-wide pavements no one ever uses narrow them and include a proper bicycle lane, things would improve no end.
L Bonnici
Aug 6th 2009, 11:27
@ J Farrugia
Please enlighten me on where did you find that cyclists should be fined for riding together in pairs of 2s or 3s.... I've never heard of it!
@ Charles Taliana
On the date you are mentioning I'm sure there were policemen who closed Pennellu hill from the roundabout near the hotel... I don't know why you're saying there were cars after this cyclist! and by the way, malta cycling federation races have all the permits and cyclists ARE entitled to use the whole width road (in a race). Besides on that day they were racing and the road was supposed to be closed for traffic for less than a couple of hours. What's the fuss with passing through Mellieha instead of climbing that hill??
George Debono
Aug 6th 2009, 11:23
continued.......
And…………….don’t forget car drivers also behave badly and they are far more dangerous.
What I would like to say is this – car drivers tend to grumble ( as one or wo bloggers have done below) about bikes because, maybe - just once in a day , or in a week they, they meet a bunch of cyclists and cannot wait to overtake them - but they are quite inifferent to what cars do which is often worse....
I, too, drive a car but, since I understand the plight of cyclists on our road I do not hassle them. Having driven in Denmark where cyclists are kings of the road I am now conditioned to do so.. .
Mr ebejer and others who tend to make negative comments – please, please be a tiny bit more kind and patient towards cyclists and we will ALL be happier.
G
George Debono
Aug 6th 2009, 11:13
@ l ebejer
How sad to see the blog kick off with a negative comment !
I am not familiar with the new Hal far road and therefore cannot comment on what he says.
The only possibility I can think of is that the “pavement “ (IS it a cycle track or a pavement?) is either badly made or – most probably - full of debris and glass splinters as is often the case so that it is useless.
It would be nice to hear from a local cyclist who knows the road.
@ “They cycle in pairs or even in threes along this road that is just one lane .To overtake them you have to cross the central line”
Again I do not say that Mr Ebejer is wrong but what he writes is typical of the negative attitude towards cyclists. One often sees people in cars who actually stop in the middle of the road to unload - or chat somebody up - and other car drivers usually wait patiently until he has finished, BUT if a cyclist (or cyclists) holds them up then they get furious !
g
Continues............
Charles Taliana
Aug 6th 2009, 11:12
Malta's main roads are not bicycle roadworthy. In other contries in EU where there is heavy traffic and where the accident happend is for heavy traffic, there should never have been a cycle lane, this lane is false on an arterial road. You do not find a cycle lane on Auto Strada Del Sol in Italy or the Dusseldorf - Berlin Aoutobahn, or the M25 or Spaghetti Junction near Birmingham in the UK. So who invented such lanes on busy roads needs replannig. One last thing about a month ago the Malta Cycling Association eas having a sort of time trials on a Sunday using the Mellieha Bypass which was never closed for traffic as they do during the Tour d'Italia or Tour de France and one of the cyclists was obstructing traffic by cycling in the centre of the inner lane causing a traffic tailback on the bypass. When told to use the lane by several motorists who frequent the bypass for the Gozo ferry he just shrugged hios shoulders as if I do not care wait behind me(a lot were also hooting). These should be revaluated and if possible obliterated altogether.
J Farrugia
Aug 6th 2009, 10:52
Bicycles are also liable to be fined for cycling in pairs of two threes. If anyone sees such cyclists please notify the police so that action may be taken against them. The law is there for everyone to obey. everyone includes cycles. As for Dr Debono. I wish him every enjoyment in his riding the bicycle.
L Bonnici
Aug 6th 2009, 10:45
Dear L Ebejer ... the bike lane you're mentioning is not a proper bike lane... it's a line drawn on a wide pavement. it's not safe riding on the pavement like that... first of all the pavement should be used only by pedestrians.... secondly it's not safe riding on the pavement, which many a times are very undulating.... what should be done is to reduce the width of the pavement and have a proper bike lane. Neither that bike lane, nor any bike lane in Malta (Coast Road, Mgarr by-pass, Rabat by-pass, Zebbug by-pass, etc etc...) are proper bike lanes.... Should you be interested to see what a proper bike lane looks like I suggest you look out for them next time you're abroad....
l ebejer
Aug 6th 2009, 10:31
The new Hal far road has been built with a pavement lane for cyclists. This road is being used everyday by cyclists to train .But they never use the cyclists lane.They cycle in pairs or even in three"s along this road that is just one lane .To overtake them you have to cross the central line.This road is used by heavy industrial trucks etc. This is dangerous both for the cyclists themselves and to other motorists who have to go on the wrong side of the road to overtake them. Traffic police or wardens please take note!