Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The recent imposition of a total ban of cycling along Sliema’s promenade was symptomatic of what’s wrong with our current thinking on the transport system. It is often completely at odds with the EU vision of creating liveable town and village cores that emphasise walking and cycling as sustainable transport.

Compare that to a defunct albeit modern public bus system, with a door-to-door expectation that mimics private cars, which cause the very congestion through which it cannot possibly wade. The sensible way to go, that would secure future EU funding for urban development and public roads, would be to embrace the EU’s 2020 sustainable vision that encourages walking and cycling, particularly walking to bus stops that would have produced a less complex system. A 10-minute walk will produce a two-square kilometre catchment area, using a bike for the same energy and time multiplies that by a massive factor of 14!

Sliema council, who have been leaders in introducing bicycle-friendly initiatives, is one of the few localities to take up the notion of a sustainable urban transport vision, possibly prompted by congestion and parking pressures.

Cycling-awareness measures should have been put in place along the Tower Road promenade. Sadly both the council and cyclists themselves have been let down by a minority of riders who rode way too fast on the promenade. It’s something we also see on our roads where some motorists drive selfishly or way too fast.

Clearly the original plan for cyclists to proceed slowly had more in common with the EU’s future vision and the council was way ahead of the curve.

On a community level US and European research increasingly indicates that businesses situated on ‘bikeways’ tend to make more money. Bikeways and shared spaces encourage pedestrians and cyclists to visit their high street shops and cafés more often, helping to humanise high streets and their communities, while driving property prices up as districts with bikeways become more desirable.

Sliema’s promenade could have become a shared space in the same way that Naples’ seafront has become with all the commercial viability that brings. Cyclists saw the original slow speed limit signs as a good compromise. It should have been enforced. But like everywhere else, enforcement is ‘the’ big problem.

That’s a great shame as there are significant benefits from encouraging cycling on a wider scale, with cycling estimated as saving Europe €120 billion annually. Savings are linked directly to increased physical activity, reducing the state’s healthcare costs, congestion, pollution and community parking stresses.

Contrary to Andrew Borg-Cardona’s claim that cyclists don’t contribute anything (Bike On It, January 6), it makes economic sense to encourage cycling, not make cycling more difficult. It is also something that is value added.