Maltese version below
Monday 16 September marked the start of European Mobility Week (EMW) – the European Commission’s yearly awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility. However, we observed complete radio silence from our government, when the urgency to promote sustainable mobility in Malta has never been greater.
Transport is responsible for 55% of energy demand in Malta and a third of greenhouse gas emissions. The transport sector is a major contributor to local air and noise pollution, and takes up the majority of public spaces in our towns and cities. Despite the policies in the Transport Master Plan from 2016, the modal share of private car use keeps going up, to 84% of total trips in the latest National Household Travel Survey of 2021.
Micromobility – small vehicles that operate at low speeds and are not gas-powered, from active modes like walking and cycling to electric bicycles, kick scooters, and mobility scooters – are a solution to our car dependence. Half of the trips done on a daily basis in Malta are under 5.5km – just a 20 minute bicycle or scooter ride. Even the government’s own Low Carbon Development Strategy (2021) recognises that active transport is a key policy to decarbonise the transport sector, particularly in the short term. However, road safety concerns and lack of safe and connected infrastructure remain the major barriers for more people to opt for micromobility instead of private cars. We know there is a need for safe, separated lanes on busy roads, for traffic calming in residential streets, as well as appropriate and visible parking spaces for bicycles and scooters. What are we waiting for?
Friends of the Earth Malta, through their Erasmus+ project MICROMOBI, is promoting the use of micromobility, through a series of workshops to teach people how to use these modes of transport, how to repair them, and how to stay safe on the road. The project will finish with an action plan with recommendations for policy makers, with demands and suggestions on how to create a safe road environment that invites and encourages micromobility users to shift away from polluting modes of transport.
Climate campaign coordinator at Friends of the Earth Malta, Dr Suzanne Maas, encourages people to come to their Urban Cycling Skills training, on Friday 20 September at 17:30, Malta’s only registered mobility action to celebrate European Mobility Week 2024. In this training, people will learn about the rules of the road, how to ride confidently in the city and skills such as how to tackle busy roundabouts. The training will finish with a group ride together with Critical Mass Malta, a group that organises bicycle rides every last Friday of the month, to experience the power of ‘safety in numbers’ and build confidence on the road. The group ride will start and end in Floriana, with experienced cyclists at the front and rear. Other micromobility modes such as scooters and cargo bikes are welcome to join. Find out more and register for free on www.foemalta.org/events.
Il-Mikromobilità: Parti mis-soluzzjoni, mhux mit-tniġġis ambjentali
Nhar it-Tnejn 16 ta’ Settembru kien il-bidu tal-Ġimgħa Ewropea għall-Mobilità – il-kampanja annwali tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea biex tqajjem kuxjenza dwar mobilità urbana sostenibbli. Madanakollu, innutajna skiet perfett mill-gvern Malti minkejja li l-urġenza biex nippromwovu l-mobilità sostenibbli f’Malta qatt ma kienet ikbar.
It-trasport jikkonsma 55% tad-domanda tal-enerġija f’Malta, u jirriżulta f’terz tal-emissjonijiet tal-gassijiet serra. Is-settur tat-trasport hu kontributur ewlieni tat-tniġġis tal-arja u t-tniġġis awkustiku lokali, u jieħu l-maġġoranza tal-ispazji pubbliċi fl-ibliet u l-irħula tagħna. Minkella l-politiki tal-Pjan Ġenerali tat-Trasport tal-2016, il-qasma modali tal-użu tal-karozza privata kompla jiżdied għal 84% tal-vjaġġi kollha, skont l-aħħar Stħarriġ Nazzjonali dwar vjaġġar minn unitajiet domestiċi fl-2021.
Il-mikromobilità – vetturi żgħar li joperaw b’veloċità baxxa u ma jaħdmux bil-gass, fosthom mezzi attivi bħall-mixi u r-rota, u roti elettriċi, kick skuters, u skuters għall-mobilità – hija soluzzjoni għad-dipendenza tagħna fuq il-karozzi. Nofs il-vjaġġi ta’ kuljum f’Malta huma iqsar minn 5.5km, li tfisser 20 minuta b’rota jew skuter. Anke l-Istraġeija tal-Gvern stess dwar Żvilupp ta’ Karbonju Baxx (2021) tagħraf li t-trasport attiv huwa politika ċentrali għat-tnaqqis tal-karbonju fis-settur tat-trasport, b’mod partikolari fiż-żmien qasir. Madanakollu, it-tħassib dwar is-sigurtà fit-triq, u n-nuqqas ta’ sigurtà u tal-firxa fl-infrastruttura, jibqgħu l-ikbar ostakli biex iktar nies jagħżlu l-mikromobilità minflok il-karozzi privati. Ilkoll nafu li hemm bżonn għal korsiji siguri u separati f’toroq traffikużi, mezzi biex jtaffu t-traffiku f’toroq residenzjali, kif ukoll spazji ta’ parkeġġ tajbin u viżibli għar-roti u l-iskuters. X’qed nistennew?
Permezz tal-proġett tal-Erasmus+ MICROMOBI, Friends of the Earth Malta qed tippromwovi l-użu tal-mikromobilità. Qed tagħmel dan b’sensiela ta’ sessjonijiet ta’ ħidma biex tgħallem lin-nies jużaw dawn il-mezzi tat-trasport, kif isewwuhom, u kif ikunu siguri fit-triq. Il-proġett se jwassal għal pjan ta’ azzjoni b’rikomandazzjonijiet lil min ifassal il-politika, b’talbiet u suġġerimenti fuq kif jistgħu joħolqu ambjent sigur fit-toroq li jistieden u jinkoraġixxi persuni jużaw l-mezzi tal-mikromobilità u fl-istess ħin jitbiegħdu mill-mezzi ta’ trasport li jniġġsu.
Il-koordinatur tal-kampanja fuq il-klima tal-Friends of the Earth Malta, Dr Suzanne Maas, tinkoraġixxi lin-nies biex jattendu t-taħriġ fil-ħiliet tar-rota f’żoni urbani, nhar il-Ġimgħa 20 ta’ Settembru fil-17:30. Dan se jkun l-unika azzjoni rreġistrata ta’ mobilita f’Malta bħala parti mill-Ġimgħa Ewropea tal-Mobilità tal-2024. Waqt dan it-taħriġ, il-parteċipanti se jitgħallmu fuq ir-regoli tat-toroq, kif isuqu r-rota b’kunfidenza fl-ibliet, u ħiliet bħal kif jinnavigaw roundabouts traffikużi. It-taħriġ jagħlaq b’dawra bir-rota bħala grupp, flimkien mal-Critical Mass Malta. Il-Critical Mass Malta huwa grupp li jorganizza dawriet bir-rota f’kull l-aħħar Ġimgħa tax-xahar bl-għan li l-grupp jesperjenza is-sens qawwi ta’ saħħa fin-numri, u jrabbi l-kunfidenza fit-triq. Id-dawra bir-rota tibda u tispiċċa l-Furjana, biċ-ċiklisti ta’ esperjenza fuq quddiemnett u fuq waranett tal-grupp. Mezzi ta’ mikromobilità oħra, bħall-iskuters u l-cargo bikes, huma mistiedna li jingħaqdu wkoll. Jekk trid tikseb iktar informazzjoni u tirreġistra mingħajr ħlas żur www.foemalta.org/events.