Today’s Car Free Day activities are more realistic, involving local councils in an effort to reach out to the community, according to Environment Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco.
“The aim behind Car Free Day is to encourage people to use alternative means of transport like buses or bicycles,” Dr de Marco said.
Although ambitious plans to close arterial roads to traffic and conduct air quality tests today were shelved, Dr de Marco said he wanted the activities to be realistic.
“We didn’t want a symbolic closure but something realistic and, for the first time, this year we worked closely with local councils to organise activities for everyone,” he said.
Nine localities will close a number of roads today – all linked to the village core. Activities will be held in Birkirkara, Ħamrun, Kalkara, Mellieħa, Mġarr (Malta), Nadur, Sta Luċija and Victoria today and range from cycling tours in Sta Luċija to free Segway rides in Birkirkara and street football in Victoria and Mellieħa.
There will also be a charity cycle organised by Inspire from Marsascala to Sliema. The events are being organised by local councils and a number of NGOs following a call for proposals issued by a government committee appointed to coordinate the event.
Close work with local councils may expand over time depending on this year’s feedback. But, more importantly, it was up to the individual to make a difference on Car Free Day and Dr de Marco encouraged everyone to make “a choice to improve their quality of life”.
Car Free Day forms part of European Mobility Week, which runs from September 16 to 22 annually.
Dr de Marco explained that today was picked as Car Free Day because it was a day for the family and activities organised during the working week might be lost. The initiative behind Car Free Day is to highlight the importance of environment and health.
“Cars are among the major contributors to air pollution and we all need to exercise to improve our health,” said Dr de Marco, who intends cycling from Ħamrun to Sliema.
Environmentalist Edward Mallia, who drives an electric car, believes that closing off Malta’s arterial roads for air monitoring would have been a useful exercise.
“Even though we know that certain points, such as Msida or St Anne’s Street in Floriana, are highly polluted, it would be significant to see the results of the monitoring tests,” Prof. Mallia said.
These results would have “driven the point home,” he added.
List of streets closed today are:
• Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Part of Triq Il-Kbira, part of Triq Il-Marfa and Triq L-Erwieħ in Mellieħa.
• Between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wesgħat Il-Ġublew, part of Triq Il-Fisher, Triq Sir Harry Luke, Triq Dun
Edgar, Triq Il-Kbira, Triq Iċ-Ċentinarju Tal-Paroċċa and Triq Barbara in Mġarr.
• Between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Part of Triq Il-Kbira in Ħamrun.
• Triq Marina, Triq Ix-Xatt and Triq L-Arċisqof Gonzi in Kalkara.
• Between 8 a.m. and noon. Part of Triq Il-Peprin in Santa Luċija.
• Between 9.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. St Elena’s Square in Birkirkara.
• Between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Part of Triq In-Naxxar in San Gwann.
• Triq Diċembru 13, Pjazza San Pietru and Pjazza San Pawl in Nadur.
• St Augustine Square, St Francis Square, Independence Square and Republic Street in Victoria.