‘Narrowing car lanes without proper segregation is counter-productive to road safety’ - Rota

Cycling NGO Rota has criticised road design decisions being taken by Infrastructure Malta in the wake of increasing traffic accidents and fatalities in the first quarter of 2023. This also comes at the heels of a seemingly frequent occurrence of road fatalities in the past few weeks.

In a press statement, Rota responded to statements made by Infrastructure Malta (IM) CEO Ivan Falzon, where he stated that in order to reduce drivers from speeding, the agency narrowing lanes in areas that are frequented by pedestrians.

Rota highlighted how two years ago, the NGO had proposed an alternative road plan for the Mrieħel bypass in response to IM’s widening of said bypass, a plan which Rota had then opposed, as it was deemed “unnecessary overkill”. 

Instead, Rota had proposed that the bypass be narrowed to cater for “a segregated active mobility route towards Ħ'Attard, and simultaneously take advantage of the existing service road on the other side to facilitate a parallel slower route for easy access to any point in the industrial area.”

The NGO stated how narrowing lanes should not automatically mean that more lanes for cars are added, adding that a lack of proper road segregation leads to higher speeds, as it gives the impression of a wider road. In fact, Rota notes that while narrower lanes might slightly improve safety for drivers, additional lanes are counter-productive to road safety, as this is detrimental to the safety of pedestrians or cyclists. 

Reference was also made to the lack of pedestrian crossings in major junctions, as well as a poorly designed bicycle lane in Mgarr and a lack of direct crossings near the Luqa Airport junction.

Citing the record number of road fatalities in 2022, Rota notes that decision-makers must be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to safe road designs. The NGO concludes by asking what actions are being taken to improve the current situation, and what is being done by the Malta Road Safety Council and Transport Minister to address the issue.