Two years after cyclist Cliff Micallef died in a hit-and-run incident on the Coast Road, his wife feels not much has been done to make roads safer.
“We can’t let people die like this... Roads remain unsafe for cyclists and not enough has been done to stop drink driving,” Shirley Micallef told The Times.
Her 45-year-old husband died on July 30, 2009, after he was run over by a car in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, about 20 metres from the entrance to the White Rocks Complex, minutes into his morning exercise routine.
He had been training for the LifeCycle Challenge to raise funds for the Renal Unit at Mater Dei Hospital. A 21-year-old man, Anthony Taljana, was charged with running him over while under the influence of alcohol and his case is still pending.
“I still feel heartbroken and it’s a constant uphill struggle,” Ms Micallef said, adding: “My three sons – Max, Zak and Jon – still miss their father tremendously.”
Her husband was a keen enthusiast of the sport, which even got a mention in the homily of the priest officiating at their wedding ceremony 19 years ago. Mr Micallef’s wardrobe was packed with cycling kits, obsessed with safety, and he had 22 bicycles in his garage, ranging from unicycles to tricycles.
However, Mrs Micallef confessed she was finding it difficult to allow this legacy to survive in his sons. While she fully supports the LifeCycle cause, for instance, she would rather if they did not take part, as she cannot bear the thought of one of them getting injured on the road.
Her eldest son, Max, loves cycling but, yesterday, he did not cycle during a bike ride organised in memory of his father by the Malta Sports’ Council and the Malta Cycling Federation. The family attended the ride but not on a bike.
“Max is now 17 and I can’t stop him from cycling forever. But, out of respect for my wishes, he is not cycling as he knows what I go through when he is out on the road,” she said adding that Malta’s roads are not safe.
“The LifeCycle challenge is a great cause but if we really want to support it we need to make roads safe for cyclists to train for it,” Ms Micallef said as she called on the authorities to take the matter more seriously.
Hundreds of cyclists turned up for yesterday’s bike ride, to pay tribute to Mr Micallef and call for safer roads.
Ms Micallef started campaigning for safer roads soon after her husband’s death.
“I want to create awareness about drink driving and the state of the roads. I feel it’s my mission now,” she said, insisting that the penalties for drink driving are too soft.
First-time offenders face a maximum fine of €1,200, three months’ imprisonment and suspension of their driving licence if found guilty, and repeat offenders face a €2,300 fine, a six-month prison term and withdrawal of their licence.
She also feels that the cycling lanes – that start and stop erratically in some areas – are not safe enough.
Her husband’s death had spurred a barrage of criticism from keen cyclists that called on the authorities to improve the bicycle lanes. In August 2008, they even started a petition, signed by 2,000 people to date, but the situation remained the same.