Car free day in Malta a total Flop

Car free day in Malta a total Flop

Let’s admit it. Yesterday’s car free day was a total disaster. Most people did not even know it was car free day as there wasn’t much promotion. I only found out some days ago because I follow such initiatives closely.  Some television news only talked about it a day before and interviewed people on the 22^nd which was the official car free day. On newspapers the promotion was small, articles that one barely notices.

Car free day isn’t an invention by Maltese authorities; it is organized by the European Commission. A total of 2,049 cities took part.

When the times of Malta interviewed people yesterday, many admitted to not know it was car free day. This says a lot. What I and I’m sure also other people find strange, is that we were expected to take part in this initiative, without the proper alternatives to private transport. Some buses and routes are fine; others unfortunately are not so regular and reliable. Bicycle lanes are rather dangerous and end abruptly and that’s only where there are actually lanes. In Wales for example, the lanes are part of the road but on a different level, a bit more down. Sometimes with natural barriers such as trees diving the driving part from the cycling part.  Other countries have other methods. We only need to see what applies for us.

It is true that Malta is small, but the number of registered drivers and cards is astonishing. The best things is probably to not have a car in the next couple of years, because with all the traffic it would be useless. Imagine a traffic jam in New York as seen in movies, that’s what we will become if we continue this way.

On the other hand, having a personal car might reduce the time of the journey and you have something to rely on in case of emergency. So it’s good to have a personal car, at least one per family, especially if it functions with alternatives to polluting  fuel (but not electricity in here either, we’re not in Sweden where it comes from water). The solution, I believe, is to try to use it as little as possible one’s personal cars and in its stead car pool with other people who are going in the same direction as you, use public transport when possible and WALK! We live on such a small island that from Marsa to Gudja talks about one and a half hours, granted that the cars are not trying to kill you (this is check by yours truly, remember that accident to the Marsa bridge, I had just walked from Msida to Blata il-Bajda. At least I didn’t have huge schoolbags like some of the children I encountered on the way).

From Blata il-Bajda to Msida, stopping a little and continue all the way to Floriana Terminus at full speed and a really heavy bag tkes about ¾ of an hour. I could continue giving you estimations but I won’t. I find it fun to walk and who know it may cut some of the laziness and obesity that so many Maltese are bestowed with nowadays.

My final point is that everybody needs to work together ALL YEAR ROUND, so that we’ll have cleaner air. No need for me to explain the peril of pollution; if you’re reading this then you probably know. The state won’t do a thing if people won’t show interest. It is for the common good that we all cooperate, air and space (as in dimensions) are not changeable. We have to make do. And yes, if that means going a bit out of the way, I’m sure you’ll feel good afterwards.

Having said that, I don’t drive of course and I use public transport fairly regularly and as mentioned before I walk but yesterday I was in at the charity shop and I didn’t particularly feel walking up at 6 to catch a bust at 7 and then another one to arrive at Marsacala. I do however, go by bus half of the times, patience is not my virtue, I hate waiting. Let’s hope that the reform in the transportation system will be good.

Suggested Reading:
http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100923/local/car-free-or-carefree
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=112550
Interesting Site to see:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/04/bike-lanes-from-around-th_n_439274.html

PS: the article is exactly 700 words!!

World Ozone day 2010

Today is the international Ozone day. Twenty-five years ago the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was signed. Much progress has been made since then. But, there’s still much to do, to give the Earth a breather to reconstruct its ozone Layer.


methyl bromide needs to be eliminated from agricultural pesticide, on this I stand of the opinion that chemicals have high risks and when we mess with nature, we don’t have much quality in our products. Today I read this interesting article on Cotton Farming


Illegal use of CFCs needs to be stopped and the Ozone Layer HIGHLY monitored. Not only is this our solely living place and we can’t destroy it but serious health risks are attached to the depletion of the Ozone Layer. 130,000 new cases of melanoma are reported around the world each year and around 66,000 people die from skin cancer yearly. This is the reason after all why they tell us to protect ourselves from The UV.
The increase in temperature also affects other biological lives, affecting biodiversity which this year we are trying to make people aware of.
For further reading I suggest:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ozone/ozone_layer.htm