Watch: PN MP: ‘I Stopped Cycling Every Morning After I Was Run Over By A Car’
Shadow Transport Minister Mark Anthony Sammut has recounted a personal story as he urged the government to make the roads safer for cyclists.
“I was training for a triathlon and I would go cycling for an hour every morning until the day someone ran me over by a roundabout and drove off,” Sammut said on Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103.
“I also used to cycle to work; I used to work in Birkirkara and it was faster rot get there by bicycle than by car. However, it isn’t safe. Our infrastructure doesn’t take care for cyclists and the laws don’t protect you.”
Sammut urged the government to introduce the concept of presumed liability depending on the type of vehicle. This would mean that, unless proven otherwise, cyclists and scooter riders will automatically be considered at fault if they are involved in an accident with a pedestrian, while cars will be at fault if they are involved in an accident with a cyclist or scooter rider.
“This concept exists in most European countries,” he said.
Sammut also urged the government to start working on a mass transit system as soon as possible.
“We had proposed a light railway system and the government immediately tried to ridicule it, even as it commissioned a study for a metro. It spent around €1 million on a ceremonial launch of the study but three years down the line, it’s been completely forgotten and the Prime Minister has said it isn’t a priority.”
“Last election, we proposed a trackless tram that they also tried to ridicule. Whether it’s a light railway, a trackless tram or a metro, the fact is that we need a mass transit system as soon as possible. It will take years and you might not be able to cut the ribbon in time for the next election but we need to implement it because we cannot remain car-centric.”
Should the government focus on cyclist safety when designing roads?
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