Making the Coast Road safer for motorcycles.

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.

Vintage Motorcycles

Vintage motorcycles with a cubic capacity of less than 250cc had their Registration Tax removed.

Motorcycles with a cubic capacity of less than 250cc and approved vintage by the vintage classification committee will be exempt from the payment of registration tax.

Furthermore, Budget 2015 measures meant that the definition of  both ‘vintage vehicle’ and ‘vehicle classification committee’ were amended.   The right of appeal was also introduced, so any decision taken by the vintage classification committee can be appealed.

On another note, offences were introduced for defaulters.