There was once a time, not so long ago, when the European Mobility Week was celebrated with much pomposity in Malta. We had so-called car-free days too, with ministers calling upon the media to cover their use of public transport while several main roads were closed to traffic for most of the day.

It did not work at all, except that it increased the frustration of drivers who had to find alternative ways to reach their destination. Having roads closed to traffic did not push them to use public transport, bikes or go on foot. If anything, on that day, the environmental situation was even worse because they had to take longer routes and there was heavier traffic in narrower roads.

When this idea failed, we tried to encourage people to pool in their resources. People were told that if they made arrangements to go to their office or on errands in groups of three or four in one particular car, then they would have been eligible to win a prize. The prizes were given, yes, but again, if the idea worked then it did so for just one day because, as from the following day, we were back to normal.

The more time passed, the more the “celebration” of European Mobility Week lost its significance in Malta and it became a low-key event. When it was celebrated last Saturday, activities were limited to the minister responsible for transport visiting a group of children who were taking part in a cycling proficiency test. This, in itself, was an admission that previous initiatives taken in connection with car-free days had all failed. And dismally too.

This year, European Mobility Week had as its theme “Streets for the people”. But, locally, little – if any – attention was given to this particular subject.

The focus on cycling made this year is, in itself, a good idea. People should be encouraged to cycle more, both for their physical fitness and also to reduce toxic emissions of cars. But in a country where there are too many steep hills, few are encouraged to ride a bike to their office or to go on an errand. Secondly, our roads – jam-packed as they are with vehicles – are not very safe for riders either.

True, bicycle lanes have been introduced in roads that are wide enough to make it safer for the riders, but then such lanes are interrupted abruptly, which means that riders will have to continue their journey in more difficult circumstances. People have also been encouraged to use bikes as part of the park and ride scheme – and a bicycle lane was purposely introduced for this – but it does not seem that the idea has caught up. It would be interesting to know how many people have actually used the bikes provided at Blata l-Bajda since the park and ride scheme was introduced.

Of course, there have been other initiatives that were taken in order to reduce the use of cars and make the environment we live in healthier. For one thing, more areas in Valletta have been converted into pedestrian zones and others will follow suit once the project is completed. Electric cabs have also been introduced.

Is this enough? Should such initiatives be restricted only to Valletta? Should the government give up so easily on raising more awareness? Should the car-free day and car-pooling initiatives have been stopped so quickly just because the first attempts did not reach the expectations? Is the government doing enough to improve the public transport system so as to encourage more people to make use of it rather than their private vehicles?

Streets for the people? Pull the other one.