Four Weeks Later, Rota Still Chasing Authorities On Oil-Covered Bike Lane In Marsa
Bicycle advocacy and environmental NGO Rota is still chasing authorities to safely remove the oil that spilled onto the Marsa bike lane – four weeks later.
On May 26th, a truck carrying approximately 200 litres of cooking oil spilled its contents onto the Marsa flyover, and while immediate action was taken to clean up the spill on the road, the same cannot be said for the bike lane.
The spill – which happened on the flyover leading from Triq Garibaldi towards Triq Aldo Moro – caused the road to be temporarily closed until it was made safe for car drivers again.
“As should have been expected, a significant amount of oil also spilled and drained into the underlying bicycle lane,” Rota said in a statement this morning.
“On May 27th, Rota reported this issue directly to Ivan Falzon, CEO of Infrastructure Malta. We were assured that the problem would be resolved by the end of the day. It was not.”
“On June 12th, Rota filed another report and was once again given assurances that the matter would be addressed. Another report was forwarded this morning.”
Rota has already filed three reports addressed directly to Falzon, and it seems they’re being ignored.
“The presence of oil poses a serious hazard, necessitating urgent and proper measures to mitigate the risks involved. It is completely unacceptable that such a dangerous situation persists week after week.”
“We need to ask ourselves: what more do we require before taking decisive action? Additionally, where is the road safety council in all this?”
Rota is once again faced with a classic case of cars being prioritised over bicycles, with the measures taken to clean the road not matching up with the inaction taken over the bike lanes.
What do you make of this situation?
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