Aaron Farrugia Announces €35 Million Project For Cycling Lanes After Ride With Local Cyclists
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia has just announced a €35 million investment into cycling lanes all over the Maltese islands.
This comes after Farrugia went for a bicycle ride with local cyclists, including Fabio Spiteri and Rota President Daniel Vella after an invitation was brought forward by Bulletproof.
“I went for a cycling ride with Bulletproof, a hobby that I often do on the weekends,” Farrugia wrote on social media.
“While discussing with them, I announced that Infrastructure Malta will be investing €35 million for our country to have a network of routes dedicated to bicycles,” he said.
“Apart from these routes connecting all of Malta, we will also be carrying out a national strategy for cycling to be finalised together with stakeholders.”
Malta’s roads have been facing serious congestion over the last months, with around 65 new cars being introduced to the roads on a daily basis.
As a result of this, many have been calling for proper infrastructure that can host safe cycling, with environmental NGO Rota being at the forefront of this fight.
“The announcement of a €35 million investment in a bicycle network is positive news and a step in the right direction. For the first time ever, we are seeing a bicycle network being planned for and not through a piecemeal approach alongside car-centric projects,” Rota President told Lovin Malta following the news.
“This plan does not deter from the fact that dangerous infrastructure still exists on our roads, that our laws need to change, and that we still need to see a shift in policy.”
“The problem of safety for bicycle users is a multi-faceted one, however, this plan is one that will finally start tackling one of the main issues, and this gives us hope,” he expressed.
What do you make of this announcement?
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