Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1153841
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 AUGUST 2019 INTERVIEW fly-overs, so as to keep the cars moving. That's how the au- thorities think: 'we have to keep traffic flowing, because other- wise, people will complain'. You cannot look at it like that. You have to consider that – given a safe, viable alternative – people might decide not to use a car. If you want to use a car… good for you. But if other people are using different modes of trans- port, you're going to have less traffic on the streets, so you're going to get to your destination faster. It's a win-win situation for everybody…. Yet there seems to be resistance to this, not just from the authorities. I have seen hostile, aggressive comments directed at (among others) cyclists online. Do you think our 'car culture' has also created a prejudice against cyclists? I'm seeing a slow change re- garding perceptions of cyclists in Malta. Maybe it's because I'm biased – being a cyclist my- self, I tend to be very positive in my approach. But most of the drivers I encounter in the street are very encouraging, very accommodating. They al- ways give way; they stop at junc- tions and roundabouts so I can cross safely… because they un- derstand that I'm a commuter, too. I wear normal clothes when I cycle: they can see from my bag that most probably I have a laptop, etc. So they perceive that I'm just like them: I'm try- ing to reach my place of work, like they are, only not by car. Usually, the negative percep- tions tend to be towards sports cyclists: which is very unfair, be- cause obviously, they also have an entitlement to use the roads. But when drivers see that you're a commuter like everyone else… they understand that you have the same rights as them. Perceptions are changing, in this sense. People are also understanding that this road- widening exercise is ultimately futile. It might work for a few years, but then we'll be back to square one. The most recent road-widening exercises, like the one at Tal-Balal, are already clogged up with traffic. People see this; they understand that that is not the way to go. Even the issue regarding the trees: the campaign to save the Rabat Road trees brought about a lot of sympathy for the way we should respect space in Malta, and the way we should use that space. So I am seeing a move- ment towards more under- standing of space and mobility; and also more awareness. You hear more people say, "If public transport was efficient and reli- able, I would seriously consider it." Or "If there was good cycling infrastructure, I'd cycle". Or "If there was shade, I'd walk"… But as you yourself said earlier, cycling (or even walking) is not for everyone. It requires a certain level of fitness, unimpaired physical co-ordination, the absence of any disability, etc. Some people might feel it is a mode of transportation only for the young or the athletic. How true is this perception? It is true that not everyone can ride a bike, and that some people wouldn't want to. But you don't have to be all that fit to ride a bi- cycle: especially a pedelec [i.e., pedalling assisted by an electric motor] like mine. I, for example, am not athletic at all. I've never done any sports in my life; in fact, I hate sports with a passion, when people say it 'releases en- dorphins', and 'you become hap- py'… I could never understand that. I tried, but it never worked with me. I'm a super lazy person. So I did not take up cycling to 'get fit'; I took it up because com- ing to University by car was too much hassle. Initially, I rode a normal bike; but some of the other members – because I'm a 'newbie', really: I only started cycling two years ago – suggested a pedelec in- stead. It has completely changed the way I move. Up-hills no longer require any extra effort. You still pedal… but it feels as though someone is giving you a push. Like you're on a horizon- tal level, all the time. So no, you don't have to be super fit to cycle. Not at all… Yet for all these persuasive arguments, we still seem hellbent on designing a road infrastructure just for cars. How do you account for this, personally? What is it about cars that makes them so privileged? One factor is that politicians are afraid of taking bold steps that would make them unpopu- lar. We need to admit that some people are so attached to their cars, they're like 'fifth limbs' to them. Telling those people, "You can't drive your car on Sun- days… or to Valletta, etc.", would be political suicide. There's that, too. So basically, we need politi- cians who have the guts to take these bold measures. Because at this stage, any measure that will make a difference will have to be bold. But I think it has mostly to do with the economic argument. There is a very strong car lob- by in Malta. You see it eve- rywhere: adverts; bill-boards; politicians offering a 'free car' as a raffle prize at a cam- paign event… Just yesterday on TV, there was an advert for a barbecue, promising 'free parking right outside the venue'. By default, it is assumed people will go there by car. Our whole life is struc- tured around the motorcar: because you get your driver's licence at 18; and immediate- ly you're almost coerced into buying a car. You don't re- ally have much choice. Then these 18-year-olds upload pictures of their first car on- line, and everybody congratu- lates them... it's like a rite of passage, for them. The 'status symbol' factor is there: au- tonomy, independence, pres- tige... many people still think of it like that. But ultimately, it boils down to money. There is a lot of money connected to road construction. Some con- tractors are making big, big bucks out of it. And roads re- quire constant maintenance. It's not like you build a road once, and it's there forever. You have to keep digging it up: to put services under- neath, to fix the potholes, etc. So there's a lot of money go- ing into that, too. Then there's fuel consump- tion and taxes. Authorities re- ceive a lot of revenue through taxes connected with road licences and fuel. There are studies which quantify all this revenue: it runs into millions. So we're not naïve enough to ignore this reality. A bicycle is much cheaper, it doesn't harm the environment, it doesn't take up space… and this also means: no revenue in parking, no equivalent of car-parks or petrol stations having to be built to accommodate them, no contracts, etc. There's a whole argument that cars gen- erate money for some people; and that is the only argument the authorities ever listen to. users, too Most of the drivers I encounter in the street are very encouraging, very accommodating. They always give way: they stop at junctions and roundabouts so I can cross safely... because they understand that I'm a commuter, too