The Malta Road Safety Council met students of St. Nicholas College in Rabat to hear their opinion on road safety. Road safety awareness is imperative from a very young age.
Hon. Joe Mizzi, the minister for Transport and Infrastructure attended the event to hear what the students had to say.
On the occasion of St. Valentine’s Day, the day dedicated to love, the Malta Road Safety Council continues its campaign towards road safety by conveying the following message to all road users.
As a council we urge everyone to show respect on our roads, sharing this love by being courteous and considerate to other road users, be they drivers, bikers, passengers or pedestrians.
Respect should continue beyond this day and every day, we should all do our part when using the roads.
Showing respect entails driving carefully and attentively, caring about our children, having them properly seated with their seats belts on, giving mobiles a break, observing road regulations and paying attention when crossing the roads.
Show respect on our roads. #loveroad
This is a joint initiative of the Malta Road Safety Council and Transport Malta.
Electronic Lane Changing Signs – St. Venera Tunnels
Works will be carried out on the Electronic Lane Changing Signs in the tunnels of St. Venera, today between 21:00hrs and 05:00hrs.
During works, traffic direction to Paola will proceed through one lane only.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zZudExHtLYQg.k3AkUNKJ3c6s&usp=sharing
Motorists are advised to proceed with caution. Any inconvenience is regretted.
Continuation of line markings in Saqqajja Hill Rabat
Following re-surfacing works in Saqqajja Hill Rabat, Transport Malta notifies that the road will be closed to vehicular traffic in both directions this evening between 21:00hrs and 05:30hrs, to continue with the painting of line markings.
If possible avoid the area during these times. Drivers are to follow the signs and instructions by officials on site.
Any inconvenience is regretted.
Safety Measures in Triq San Franġisk Bormla
Red anti-skid will be applied in part of Triq San Franġisk Cospicua at night on Wednesday 2nd September 2015.
Triq San Franġisk will be closed to traffic between 21:00hrs and 06:00hrs of the following morning.
Motorists are advised to follow signage.
Any inconvenience is regretted.
Transport Malta is installing the first motorcycle strips in Malta as part of the Coast Road project.
The motorcycle strips are attached to the lower part of the crash barriers. In case of an accident, motorbike riders are stopped from hitting the pillars and the lower part of the barriers. Riders usually slide along the asphalt and hit against the pillars or the edge of the barriers, with serious consequences.
Motorcycle riders are 15 times more at risk of loosing their life than car drivers when hitting against crash barriers, according to a study commissioned by the international association EuroRAP (www.eurorap.org).
Motorcycling is becoming increasingly popular even among Maltese drivers. In Europe, motorcycle riders make up 16% of road fatalities despite covering only 2% of distance travelled. Riders are thirty times more at risk of loosing their lives than car drivers.
As part of its road safety strategy, Transport Malta is installing three and a half kilometres of motorcycle strips within the curves and critical parts of the Coast Road. According to the study commissioned by EuroRap, motorcycle strips halve the number of fatalities of riders who crash in barriers.
The Malta Road Safety Council in conjunction with the Transport Malta and Ministry for Transport & Infrastructure today organised a conference entitled “charting the route” to officially launch the recently setup Malta Road Safety Council. The council was specifically setup by the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure and Transport Malta to bring together all stakeholders committed to road safety in the country.
Addressing the floor through a recorded video message, Mr Jean Todt, the Federation International d’Automobile (FIA) President and UN Envoy for Road Safety, endorsed the launching of the council and expressed his support to the work Malta has done to address road safety challenges. He referred to the last year’s setting up of a national road safety strategy and the setting of the council as important steps in the right direction. Mr Todt re-iterated both the FIA’s and his personal commitment towards the fight for road safety. In fact, the FIA has made Road Safety a key priority through the Action for Road Safety campaign, a marketing campaign which Transport Malta will be associating with.
The National Road Safety Council is made up of various stakeholders that include representative from the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure, Transport Malta, Touring Club Malta, Health Dept, Education Department, Malta Police Force, Malta Insurance Association, Intelligent Transport Systems Malta and the Civil Protection Department.
Other members include representatives from Malta Motorsport Federation, Motoring Schools Association, Local Councils Association, the Red Cross, KNDP, the Commissioner for Children, Two Wheeler Foundation, Bicycling Advocacy Group Malta/Malta Cycling Federation, Ghaqda Zwiemel u Kultura and the Assocjazzjoni tal-Anzjani.
Transport Malta has appointed Mr Pierre Vella as the council’s executive manager. Mr Vella brings with him a wealth of experience from the motoring sector and in fact has been the local FIA Action for Road Safety advocate for the past three years.
Introducing the seminar, Chairman of Transport Malta, Mr James Piscopo, welcomed all members and stakeholders to the seminar and re-iterated Transport Malta’s commitment towards improving road safety in Malta for the benefit of all road users. “This seminar will certainly bring about constructive discussions and encourage the exchange of best practices. I am sure that by sharing of one’s experiences we can come up with positive solutions aimed at improving road safety in Malta,” concluded Mr Piscopo.
The event also served as a good platform for the various council members and stakeholders to share their views on a topic that is very much on the forefront of Transport Malta’s agenda, namely road safety.
Addressing the conference Mr Joe Mizzi, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, said “each loss of life is a matter of national policy for my Government. It highlights the urgent need to take all the necessary measures to address the fundamental cause of traffic accidents and hence, avoid more loss of lives. This conference is all about people getting together to address such an important issue. Whilst acknowledging that Malta has one of the lowest mortality figures, one definitely notes that road accidents are not decreasing. That is why I took personal attention to have this council set up and including the members that form part of this council.”
In his conclusion, Mr Mizzi encouraged all council members to strive to achieve the impossible as he believed that through the hard work and determination of the council members, working together to improve road safety, the council will certainly make a difference on the lives of many road users in Malta.
Transport Malta News 
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