[WATCH] Bike lane accompanies completion of Luqa Road in Santa Lucija

Infrastructure Malta completed the €2 million reconstruction of Luqa Road between Santa Lucija and Luqa and it comes with a dedicated bike lane that also serves as a walking track.

Announcing the completion of the new road on Thursday at Santa Lucija, Transport Minister Ian Borg praised the project and said that there would always be questions as to whether it could have been done better.

Asked about the safety factor of having a dedicated pavement shared by both pedestrians and cyclists, Borg said that the situation was far more dire before the government decided to reconstruct Luqa Road.

"It was far more dangerous when a year ago there was no pavement, let alone a cycling lane. Whatever you do creates questions as to whether you could have done it better. Had we used more land, we would have been criticised for taking up virgin land. If you create a shared lane like this one, you might get other comments," he said.

Transport Minister Ian Borg addressing journalists on one of the new lay-bys on Luqa Road

The one-kilometre road now accomodates two bus stops with added pelican pedestrian crossings and includes a dual carriageway on both sides.

Infrastructure Malta said that it had laid a new underground water pipeline and several internet and telecommunication cable ducts ahead of the construction as well as 1.8km rainwater catchment system.

Borg said that with Malta's spatial limitations, the government had to come to a compromise to accomodate the people in the surrounding localities.

"This creates a compromise for whoever wants to travel to Luqa, Paola, Tarxien and Santa Lucija using a bicycle or otherwise. There is also the Addolorata cemetery in the vicinity and previously most people weren't be able to walk from Luqa to the cemetery. Our land has its limitations," Borg said.

He added that he had not as yet received complaints with regard to the shared lane.