Valletta, of course, will be car-free between 6.30am and 8pm, as Malta joins the rest of Europe in this environment-friendly initiative.

22 September is an established appointment for all the participants in over 1,200 cities across the world, and Malta is no exception.

The initiative has not failed to draw flak, from both the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the Federation of Industry, which both claim that business will be disrupted, especially because this year the activity is on a weekday.

However, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino defended the decision to participate: “The activity is set for 22 September and it is like that for everyone. Changing the date in Malta would defeat the purpose. It would be like having Christmas on a day other than 25 December,” he said.

This year’s theme will be In town without my car – safe streets for the children. Mr Pullicino also hinted at things to come by saying that in the future it would be a good idea if local councils could do something similar every month.

A record of 34 local councils will take part in this year’s activity, an increase of eight councils over last year. In tandem with the closure of roads to traffic, many councils will be organising sporting activities in the streets. There will also be promotion of road safety campaigns and discussions.

This is the fourth year that Malta has participated. The campaign began in 1998 in France after a study showed that 40 per cent of traffic related CO2 emissions came from privately-owned cars. In 2000 the European Commission decided to promote the activity on an international level and this year, apart from European countries, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, Brazil and Argentina will also take part.

The activity is coordinated by the Environment and Rural Affairs ministry, the Roads and Urban Development and the Roads and the Justice Ministry. For more information the public can call 2295-2143 or visit websites www.mobilityweek-europe.org or www.22september.org