Transport Malta will be holding an inspection to establish whether there is a safety hazard in the Gżira road on which a cyclist fractured her jaw.

Alison Zammit Endrich is threatening to sue the authorities after her bicycle tyre got stuck in the slots of a drain grate and she was flung face forward, cracking her chin, bruising her face and ending up with a broken jaw.

Asked about this incident, a spokesman said Transport Malta was “sensitive” to cyclists’ issues and needs, adding that this sensitivity was “not as old as our roads”, highlighting the problems with the designs of some roads and the lack of cycle lanes.

“It is pertinent to note that, despite infrastructural limitations like road widths, road construction projects being undertaken are taking into consideration these issues but the bicycle challenge on our network can only be addressed gradually and within the limits of public resources.”

The spokesman added that the Gżira road in question fell under the responsibility of the local council, so if a safety hazard is found, the council would be instructed to carry out the necessary works.

The spokesman said Transport Malta would in any case recommend that no one drove or cycled on bus lanes, as happened in this case, not least because of the risk to the cyclists themselves.

Ms Zammit Endrich is threatening to take court action to prompt the government to take action on improving the safety of the roads for cyclists. She argued that the slots of the drain grates should be designed at right angles to the road instead of in parallel with the direction of traffic flow.

Although the accident happened in a bus lane – opposite Kentucky Fried Chicken in Gżira – there were no bicycle lanes to use as an alternative, she insisted.

Questions sent to Gżira mayor Chris Bonnett were still not answered at the time of writing.