In her letter ‘Design of bicycle tracks and lanes’ (June 25, 2008), then public relations manager Daniela Borg Mizzi confidently advised the president of the Bicycle Advocacy Group at the time that the “Malta Transport Authority is committed to promote alternative transport modes to encourage a modal shift from private car usage”.

She went on to explain that they would be taking on his suggestions to create fast and efficient cycle lanes to pro-mote modal shift to more sustainable transport modes including the update of ‘guidelines in the setting up of cycle tracks and cycle lanes’.

This was in response to the design of a number of ‘slow’ cycle tracks on just one side of the road, with limited cyclist priority, starting nowhere and ending nowhere.

Ten years on, have we got anywhere? Still no guidelines and we are still designing slow toddler cycle tracks, rather than fast efficient lanes, on one side of the road.

Importantly, often on the downhill side where cyclists and drivers need it least, that start in the middle of nowhere and go nowhere.

Why have we not learnt from our own mistakes?

And, somehow, this will lead to a modal shift? A modal shift that would have helped fend off potential EU emission fines for drivers and reduce congestion and parking problems, not to mention our public health bill?

Even the much-fabled Transport Malta security blanket of the bicycle-friendly village core has failed to emerge, a simple enough task of short easy contraflows, bike racks and signage.

A truly poor 10th anniversary.