Transport Malta’s website boasts that its policies and objectives include the development of an integrated transport policy aimed at achieving modal shifts that favour public transport and non-polluting strategies while ensuring the development of an efficient and socially sustainable public transport system in Malta.

Certainly the introduction of Arriva attempts to bring the latter part of the above to fruition, not without considerable cost, however, since Malta has a serious traffic problem. It has had one for a long time and the road transport network is at breaking point. This is what Arriva’s task is: to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home and take the bus.

Yet cyclists do this almostfor free and the number ofcommuting cyclists continues (thankfully) to grow. Thankfully, because paradoxically, more cyclists mean more space for the remaining cars.

I mean, do you want to jostle in Sliema with 20 other cars or 20 push-bikes who have no intention of fighting you for the last precious remaining parking space?

One would think that Transport Malta would be bending over backwards to have cyclists help it solve its transport dilemma, yet the recent reversal of the decision to allow mounted cyclists to use Bisazza Street in Sliema seems contrary to encouraging non-polluting strategies.

This is compounded by the very same authority unwittingly leaving cyclists heading south with two choices.

Descend the dangerous, steeply scarified St Anthony Street with the potentially fatal consequences of failing to stop at the bottom, or using the almost illegal (because it’s not signposted ‘no cycling in tunnel’) Tigné tunnel, somewhat criminalising the victim.

You see, as beautiful as they are, mechanically, standing still, the efficiency of this simple machine, the bicycle only comes out when it is actually ridden.

That said and human nature being what it is, cyclists going north will probably just opt to crawl up Tower Road, which will obviously slow down traffic.

I don’t see how that helps anyone.