Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544495
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 APRIL 2026 FEATURE MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt How to beat Malta's I normally drive a car but I decided to take a break from driving and try out different modes of transport. my journey with all its ups and downs PICTURE this: You're sitting in your car in between errands on a weekend and a long line of cars stretches out as far as the eye can see; motorcycles whizz past stationary vehicles, while cars and trucks move a few inches each minute. To your side, you can see a driver behind the wheel. Their facial expres- sions show frustration, anger, and fu- tility. You look at yourself in the re- flection of your rear-view mirror and see similar signs of despair. Does this sound familiar? A few months ago, I was in a similar miserable traffic jam while listening to Brodu, a popular Maltese band that in 2024 released a song titled Ħafna Karozzi (A lot of cars). The song perfectly captures the daily struggle of thousands of com- muters who find themselves stuck in traffic. The music captures the ca- cophony and confusion one finds on jam-packed roads, while lyrics like "Karozzti santwarju" (my car is my sanctuary), somehow successfully ro- manticised my love-hate relationship with my car and daily commute. The song gave me the idea to truly experience Malta's roads beyond the comfort of my car. Before doing so, I first wanted to un- derstand how the song came to be and what inspired it. I spoke to Brodu's frontman, Mark Iż-Żiżża Abela at the band's garage in Marsa. Among musical instruments and me- mentos, Mark told me that the inspi- ration for the song came to him while driving his sister's car some 20 years ago, when the number of cars in Malta was 130,000 less than what it is today. Amazingly, it turned out that Mark and I live and work very close to each other, but unlike me, he doesn't have a car and tries to avoid using one. In- stead, he rides a motorcycle, the bus, and a bicycle, which he spoke about with quite a bit of love. So, I asked him to give me some advice on using a bicycle, especially since I never really used one on main roads—although I lied to my editor about this later. His advice was quite straightforward: "Have a coffee before you go, wear a helmet, and ride fast so you spend less time on the road." With that in mind, I set out to use four different modes of transport to travel from home to work—from Żab- bar to San Ġwann. THE CAR To get a feel of the roads through dif- ferent modes of transport, I filmed and timed my commute during the Easter holidays, as the roads are quieter, saf- er, and less congested. My commute by car was the shortest and most straightforward of all four trips. I followed the road set out for me by the Waze application, passed through Fgura, the Marsa Junction, Santa Venera tunnels, Regional Road, and managed to get to work in around 30 minutes. As one might suspect, the ride was comfortable and easy. THE BUS I must confess that it had been years since I last used the bus before this project. I used to ride the bus every day to go to Junior College in Msida, Valletta, Paceville, and wherever I needed to go. But as soon as I passed my driving test and got my first car, the bus be- came obsolete. The car provides inde- pendence and obtaining one is a goal for many youths after they turn 18. I was no different. However, for this feature, I left my car keys at home, grabbed my Tal-Lin- ja Card and set off. Luckily for me, the 120 route takes me from Żabbar to San Ġwann directly with no need to change buses. His advice was quite straightforward: "Have a coffee before you go, wear a helmet, and ride fast so you spend less time on the road" My commute by car was the shortest and most straightforward of all four trips I must confess that it had been years since I last used the bus before this project