Persistent design flaws

There has never been a shortage of conversations from Transport Malta, Infrastructure Malta and the Ministry of Transport about the creation and imminent arrival of increasingly safe transport infrastructure to promote a modal shift towards walking and cycling.

For example, TM’s Road Safety Strategy Malta 2014-2024 sets out the objective “to ensure that safe designs for pedestrians and cyclists are included in new transport plans”.

Several major road improvements have been implemented in the years since the publication of this strategy, raising the expectation that such improvements should embody such objectives. However, judging by the walk and not the talk, the opposite is true.

The upgrade to Buqana Road between Mosta and Mġarr to Mtarfa illustrates this point nicely. The project started in 2018 and was completed in 2019-2020 at a cost of approximately €3.6 million. The works include the redesign of roundabouts at the two ends of this road with diversion lanes and cycle lanes, along with the addition of a second northbound lane from Mtarfa to Mosta and a cycle lane in the same direction.

Announcements claimed the upgrade would improve road safety to and from the northern part of Malta, while reducing journey times by 36 percent.

Let’s start with the roundabout near Mdina. The first photo (Photo 1) shows what the pedestrian encounters trying to cross from the Mdina side (right of the photo) to the cemetery on the Ta’ Qali side (behind the truck on the left): six lanes with fast moving traffic. Four of these lanes are the busy two-lane road. There is no provision for pedestrians at all, so crossing this road is a game of Russian roulette.

Photo 1

The second photo (photo 2) illustrates the extreme danger a cyclist faces when attempting to ride on the cycle path along the edge of the roundabout. The design here is such that conflict with heavy traffic entering from the right – as shown – is inevitable, unrelenting and entirely predictable.

Photo 2

But not everything is told. Further towards Mosta there is another demonstration of conflict, created by poor engineering design devoid of the most basic common sense. The next photo shows why: the cycle path ends abruptly where the road narrows. There is a complete lack of signage to warn cyclists or motorists of their converging and conflicting paths.

Crossing this road is a game of Russian roulette-Michael Rosner

The cyclist cannot easily look back and check, because the path is very narrow and the risk of collision with bollards/armadillos is high.

The sidewalk is 4 inches high at that point and cannot be accessed while driving as there is no ramp access provided. The ability to walk on the sidewalk is hindered because the sidewalk is not wide enough for cyclists and bicycles. These factors force the cyclist to enter the roadway, where, as can be seen, there is a serious risk of collision with a fast-moving heavy vehicle.

Cyclists who overcome this danger must nevertheless pass a series of drain covers uneven enough to dethrone a rider on the way to Mosta. They have steadily deteriorated since the road opened – an accident waiting to happen.

The next roundabout (photo 3) is only for cyclists turning left towards Mġarr. The cyclist at A who wants to go straight must reach the middle cycle path at B, while at C and D there is again fast-moving traffic that is juggling to change lanes.

Photo 3

Clearly the cyclist needs to check what is coming behind him, but he is again faced with the problem of turning 180 degrees, which puts him at risk of colliding with armadillos. The only other alternative is to get off and either cross the lane on foot, or turn left and attempt to cross at the first opportunity, only to be confronted with another five lanes of traffic with no intersection or signage.

In summary, these observations reveal persistent design flaws that are in sharp contradiction to the Road Safety Strategy formulated by TM, and frankly it is difficult to see how people who call themselves professionals can allow an infrastructure that exhibits such a striking level of disconnect reflects the fundamental – and obvious – needs of road users.

Fortunately, if the professionals fail to put their own strategies into practice, there is no shortage of common sense – and expertise – outside their ranks. NGOs are generally very willing to provide constructive criticism, but it takes commitment to listen, learn and adapt on the part of the so-called competent authorities to walk the talk.

Michael Rosner is a lecturer at the University of Malta.

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