Updated Monday 11am with BAG comments

Some 300 cyclists today participated in the National Bike Ride cycling from Floriana to Mosta and back.

The run started from in front of the Ministry for Transport in Floriana and took the participants to Ħamrun, Santa Venera, Attard, Mosta, Birkirkara and Msida.

The ride was one of the activities held to mark the European Mobility Week. The theme for this year’s edition is “Sharing gets you further.

The Malta National Electromobility Platform within Transport Malta organised the Bike Ride with the help of the police, Transport Malta enforcement officers and St John’s Ambulance.

The Bicycling Advocacy Group noted that sources within the local bicycle industry estimated that there were some 7,000 bike sales a year, in Malta. While many people start with the best of intentions, a lot of bicycles

"While many people start with the best of intentions, a lot of bicycles end up in garages and washrooms and come out for escorted events like this or the 4,000 strong Zabbar Pilgrimage once a year, when people who do not usually feel that the roads are safe enough to participate.

"Clearly making the roads safer to cycle to work on or down to the shops, would help some people switch, to avoid using their cars, helping to reduce congestion. Currently Malta imports some 3,000 vehicles a year according to the NSO onto Malta’s already crowded roads."

The group also called for pedelecs to be treated as normal bicycles. Transport Malta gave five pedelecs away in a raffle at the end of the event.