The BAG (Bicycling Advocacy Group Malta) would like to thank Ralph Cassar from the Attard local council, Daniel Muscat from the Balzan local council and Antoine Attard from the Birkirkara local council for joining us on a recent short educational commute from Attard to the University of Malta and back. The ride was supported by Nextbike.

Two relatively flat ‘quietway’ routes were explored that could potentially become official bicycle routes that would link Attard, Lija, Balzan, Iklin and Birkirkara to the university, with BAG members explaining what can be done and where the problems for people on bicycles lie.

Unfortunately, only two days later the vital link between Lija and Iklin from Triq Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, that avoids the Birkirkara bypass, was closed as a result of a rather myopic thinking on the part of the transport regulator.

Such routes need to be urgently established and officially sign-posted to help new bicycle commuters find their way around.

These improvements are relatively cheap ways to help reduce car congestion in these areas and encourage those less sure about riding a bicycle to actually do so in relative safety.