Roads are not just for cars

Jean Karl Soler’s letter Careful On The Right! (Febraury 15) is a mish-mash of misguided ideas expressed by a motorist who wants to have the road to himself. He vents his frustration on cyclists even though it is plain that vehicular traffic causes delays and lengthens travelling time and not cyclists! If he were to show some respect to the latter, this would translate into “driving carefully and with due civility and consideration in the presence of vulnerable road users”.

Roads are a public space which belong to everybody – not just to motorists- George G. Debono, Sliema

Dr Soler starts with a preposterous proposal. He wants crash barriers installed on roads “to avoid fatal accidents – especially with roadside tree trunks”. This would, of course, very conveniently shift the responsibility for accident prevention on to our road builders and away from drivers. It would also create a bumping-car mentality where the likes of Dr Soler can drive recklessly and joyously, safe in the knowledge that they are protected from hitting trees by barriers.

Dr Soler’s attitude to cyclists suggests that he has never driven abroad in a civilised country. Here he would have noticed that motorists are polite and patiently slow down behind groups of cyclists out for a (healthy) Sunday ride – and only overtake when it is safe to do so. By way of example Dr Soler tells us that he narrowly missed a bus which swerved to avoid a cyclist happily (sic) navigating the road. On what grounds does Dr Soler blame the cyclist? Surely the bus driver was wrong in trying to squeeze past this cyclist and did not have the decency or patience to slow down until it was safe to overtake?

The only conclusion that can be drawn here is that Dr Soler tried to squeeze past this cyclist because he did not have the manners or patience to slow down until it was safe to overtake. As to “cyclists ignoring cycle lanes”, Dr Soler should try getting on a bike and experiencing our Maltese-style “cycle lane” before he pontificates. These lanes were created with some left-over white paint by a department without the faintest clue about cycle lanes; they are a disgrace, an insult and more dangerous than nothing at all.

If Dr Soler wants to drive as he likes on deserted roads without being delayed by pesky pedestrians, joggers, cyclists etc., then he might try emigrating to countries such as Norway or Siberia where he will only have to contend with the occasional bear or reindeer – though hitting one of these can be more messy than hitting a pedestrian or cyclist. Sadly, Dr Soler has to accept that, back here in little crowded Malta, there are huge multitudes who have a right to share his road, so he has to drive accordingly. But then our distances here are so ridiculously short, that it becomes unnecessary to endanger human lives by driving fast.

Finally, Dr Soler tells us that “arguments for a 30mph speed limit are an oversimplification”. This dangerous statement is the cherry on Dr Soler’s fallacy cake. It has been proved beyond doubt that traffic accident casualties fall with lower speed limits in and near residential areas. Research has shown that 30kph zones reduced the incidence of traffic accidents by 60 per cent and cut child, pedestrian and cyclist accidents by almost 70 per cent. Such speed limits also reduced the fatality ratio of accidents.

Dr Soler’s comment about “increased emissions” is purely speculative, especially considering Malta’s uneven, slow-fast, foot-through-the-floor driving style. As Dr Soler kindly admits, cars “slow down and accelerate (usually madly) between choke points – which is the way to increase emissions”.

As long as the majority of motorists continue to think they can drive as though roads belong to them, then senseless accidents and tragic fatalities will continue. Roads are a public space which belong to everybody – not just to motorists.