NGOs send second open letter requesting a redesign of Mġarr Road

Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Rota have sent a second open letter to Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia, Transport Malta CEO Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi, Infrastructure Malta CEO Ivan Falzon, demanding the immediate redesign of Triq Sir Temi Żammit, Mġarr.

“Urgently start the redesigning of Mġarr Road, and publish the legally binding policy document with national standards for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, in line with top international standards, to ensure public funds are not wasted on the creation of substandard and dangerous infrastructure,” said the NGOs on Tuesday.

The initial letter sent on 15 February, following a collision between a car and a cyclist on the road’s current cycle lane. This letter was left unanswered.

Triq Sir Temi Żammit was given a so-called safety upgrade in 2021, which the NGOs are insisting has made the road less safe for many of its users. 

This road has been criticised for its unusable cycle lane since its inauguration, with Farrugia facing fresh calls to redesign it last summer, when two speeding cars collided on the cycle lane.

“Publishing strategies is not enough when their actions on the ground - road widening projects, overpasses, insufficient pedestrian access, and unsafe cycling infrastructure - are supporting further car dependency at the cost of all other means,” the NGOs said.

Instead, the NGOs suggest promoting other means, including walking, cycling, public transport, which are “healthier, more environmentally sustainable, a contribution to social cohesion, and for a sizeable group in our society is the only independent means available to them for reasons of age, ability, or finance”.