In some cities, cargo bikes have replaced delivery vehicles. Photo: Shutterstock

Much has been said about traffic congestion lately, with blame coming from all directions, whether it is pointed at school traffic, heavy vehicles or just the primary cause: the sheer numbers of private vehicles on the road.

One of the constants of the blogs and comments sections is that, while criticism is rife, few solutions are given.

We may all wish for flyovers that just get you to the next jam downstream quicker, or metros and monorails that nobody wants to pay for but wants everybody else to use. In reality, though, these are short-term band aids.

Even a metro system’s success is rather dubious if it’s not big enough to cover the entire island and all of its communities, remembering that most major cities’ underground systems where built over decades.

The issue is finding something quick to build, cheap and that, ultimately, promises to reduce car use so that there is more space on the road for everybody else.

The use of bicycles can be a very cheap way of bringing about this mobility while also helping to create space on our roads and, more importantly, offers considerable benefits to the State as payback.

Recent public bike share data in Washington DC has indicated an improved traffic flow by up to three per cent while, on the home front, users’ travel times in Malta have consistently demonstrated that it is quicker to use a bicycle during the rush hour.

This is particularly so for trips below the average car trip of 5.2 kilometres.

Coupled with significant health benefits, which account for 60 per cent of the savings, building cheap bicycle infrastructure can minimally double the return on investment and rise to as much as 35 times this according to the UK’s Department of Transport.

This does not have to be limited to personal transport either.

Cargo bikes in other European cities have started replacing delivery trucks where the latter cause congestion or become unproductive or stuck in traffic jams.

Just as it is much easier to pass a cyclist than a car, promoting bicycles will avoid drivers having to face more taxes, heavy restrictions on car use or road pricing.

Therefore, very simply put, people on bicycles benefit everyone.