Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1535522
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 MAY 2025 7 COMMERCIAL Students reimagine streets for safer, greener mobility in Malta TWO student cohorts from the EkoSkola Committees of St Augus- tine College (Pietà) and St Michael's School (Santa Venera) have presented their solutions for more inclusive and people-friendly streets to the mayors of the two localities, representatives from the Local Councils' Association, Na- ture Trust – FEE Malta, Researchers at University of Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta. The event, part of the MYMOBILITY project, funded by the ERASMUS+ pro- gramme aims to address the negative impacts of car-centric development and culture in Malta, which contributes to air and noise pollution, road safety risks, and transport inequalities, par- ticularly for vulnerable road users. Led by Project Aegle Foundation with the support of Walk21, an internation- al NGO advocating for safe, comforta- ble and enjoyable walking around the world, the project also aims to raise awareness among students about sus- tainable mobility, urban design and walking experiences. Between January and April 2025, the two student cohorts, aged 12 to 15, took part in a series of interactive workshops during which they mapped and as- sessed their school surroundings, and collected data on street environments. Using digital tools, they used the data collected to reimagine the streets sur- rounding their schools with safety and sustainability in mind. Both the Mayors of Pietà and San- ta Venera actively participated in the event, sharing their perspectives and re- sponding thoughtfully to all the points raised by the students during their presentations. Gianluca Falzon, Mayor of Santa Venera highlighted the impor- tance of balancing the needs of all road users and expressed interest in contin- uing the conversation with the school. He showed support for a student pro- posal to re-route school minivan drop- offs and pick-ups to enhance safety for students. Meanwhile, Pietà Mayor Ste- fano Savo acknowledged several issues raised by the students, including the current lack of signage and crossings indicating the school's proximity and the need to implement traffic-calming measures in certain areas. As a result of this project, Walk21 published a report (https://walk21. com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ My-Mobility-Malta-Walkability-Re- port-Walk21.pdf) to inform policy and Bolt launches Malta's first ride-hailing and food delivery subscription with Bolt Plus BOLT announce the launch of Bolt Plus, a new membership service that brings together exclusive benefits across ride-hailing and delivery, the first of its kind in Malta. From 15 May 2025, Bolt customers in Malta will be able to subscribe to Bolt Plus, a €4.99 month- ly membership that provides members with access to exclusive ride-hailing and delivery benefits. Bolt Plus members will enjoy: • Free delivery from their favourite restaurants and stores! • Priority delivery on Bolt Food, en- suring faster arrival times. • Cashback rewards, including 10% cashback on airport, scheduled, and premium rides, and 5% cash- back on all other ride categories, redeemable via their Bolt Balance account. • Flexibility with three free ride cancellations per month, offering greater convenience when plans change. Sam O'Byrne, Bolt Food General Man- ager at Bolt: "Bolt Plus is another way we aim to improve our customers' ex- perience with Bolt, and we are delight- ed to offer a wider range of benefits to members, bringing more affordability, choice and convenience to Malta." Ryan Mahoney, Ride-Hailing General Manager at Bolt, added: "At Bolt, our mission is to build cities for people, not cars. With Bolt Plus, we're taking that vi- sion even further, rewarding you for leaving your private car behind and embracing shared mobility. Every ride, every choice to go car-free earns you extra benefits, exclusive perks, and a smoother, more sustainable way to move throughout Malta." The restaurants and stores from which Bolt Plus members can order food and products without a delivery fee are marked with a "+" sign in the app. New Bolt Plus members will get the first month for free; thereafter, the monthly membership will cost customers €4.99. propose interventions to improve the walkability around schools in Malta. In view of the future national walking strat- egy, part of the Transport Ministry's re- cently announced measures to reshape mobility, this initiative could serve as a successful example to obtain people-cen- tred data and knowledge about the walk- ability of Malta, from school students and other communities. Between January and April 2025, the two student cohorts, aged 12 to 15, took part in a series of interactive workshops during which they mapped and assessed their school surroundings, and collected data on street environments.