Those who had been hoping to sail through the streets on the commute to work yesterday, when the island marked World Car-Free Day, were disappointed that there was even more traffic on the roads than usual.

It was, of course, the first day of school. The timing was unfortunate and the organisers of the local European Mobility Week knew beforehand that it would prove “problematic”.

For years, car-free day in Malta used to be held on a Sunday so as not to upset drivers but this year it was organised on the same day when the rest of the EU and the world encourage motorists to give up their vehicle for a day and use other means of transport such as the bus.

“In the past there was harsh criticism from the EU for not sticking to the proper car-free day. The decision to stick to this date was taken unanimously by the members of the Executive Committee for European Mobility Week,” a spokeswoman for the Environment Ministry said, noting that the main aim of the day was to raise awareness.

The effectiveness of car-free day is now being assessed.

St Anne Street in Floriana was officially closed but plenty of drivers managed to access it through side streets. Ironically, a cyclist was stopped when he tried to use this street.

Car-free day brought to an end a week-long string of activities intended to raise awareness about alternative means of transport.

One NGO was impressed by the number of people commuting by bike in Sliema.

The Bicycle Advocacy Group carried out a bike count in five localities and in Sliema only one person was wearing training gear, showing that cycling was becoming more mainstream, spokesman James Wightman said.