I refer to the letter by Jean Karl Soler entitled ‘Dangerous to cycle in fast traffic’, (The Sunday Times of Malta, September 16), in which he replied to Timothy Alden’s Talking Point in the Times of Malta of September 8 entitled  ‘Intelligent transport future’ .

Dr Soler resorts to remarkable feats of muddled logic in his continuing campaign to get bicycles off Malta’s roads.

After “re-checking his facts”, Dr Soler informs us of something we all know, namely, that “The Cyclist Union in the Netherlands insists on separating motor traffic from cyclists”. This, of course, represents the ideal situation.  Besides that, it is widely acknowledged that Holland and Denmark are the only countries that are anywhere near this ideal.

But Dr Soler then goes on to tell us that, “generally speaking”, there are no cycle lanes on major motorways in the EU where cy­clists are separated from fast traffic by design. This leads him to conclude that his statement that “bicycles have no place on major roads” is “a very European reality”. 

But is it?  ‘Generally speaking’ it can indeed be said that few, if any, EU countries can boast of as comprehensive a network of cycle infrastructure as Holland or Denmark; yet bicycle use is encouraged and thriving in most European countries.   

The remainder of Dr Soler’s anti-bicycle rant, which includes tidbits of feeble political jiggery-pokery against the Democratic Party, is irrelevant; it covers well-trodden ground which has been discussed ad nauseam in previous correspondence. 

Dr Soler has yet to rise to the challenge of finding contradictory evidence to nearly 200 references to scientific evidence on the health gains of active mobility as cited in Supplement VI of the Think Tank report referred to in earlier published correspondence. A copy of this supplement can be dispatched (in printed or digital version) to him via the editor if he so wishes.

On the other hand, one can only warmly welcome Dr Soler’s statement that he “personally favours, and would gladly lobby for, purpose-built cycle routes which facilitate the use of bicycles for short trips in and between villages and towns. That would be a great step forward and would encourage people to use bicycles for short trips”.  The only dubious point here is what he means by “short trips” –   is Dr Soler hinting  that bicycles should anyway be limited to short trips to keep them off main roads?

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.