Have you lost your mind? Cycling in Malta is like bear-baiting in Alaska; neither is likely to end happily.
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| Artist’s rendering of an idiot |
Here are Seven reasons to be wary of cycling in Malta:
1. There are no cycle lanes.
2. Cars go fast.
3. The streets are too narrow.
4. The streets are often full of holes.
5. If it rains deep pools form along the side of the road in seconds.
6. In summer it’s too hot.
7. Many drivers show a scant regard for the letter of the law.
In Malta, cycling is Bad For Your Health.
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I came across this blog just as I was uploading some photos onto TripAdvisor of a recent, awesome cycling adventure my gf and I had in Malta. Here are the photos: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190320-d2310744-Reviews-Malta_By_Bike-Island_of_Malta.html
The reasons you give for not cycling in Malta are generally true, but some of them are true anywhere in the world – for instance, ‘Cars go fast’!!
Our personal experience was that we really enjoyed our cycling holiday. We booked with a local company – http://www.maltabybike.com – and chose the rough edge adventure. The scenery over the cliffs was breath-taking and there were hardly any cars in sight throughout most of the bike adventure.
I guess the moral of the story is, if you are going to cycle in Malta, avoid busy roads – choose a safe route or contact a local cycling company like Malta By Bike. And avoid also the hot afternoon sun in summer or rainy days in winter!!
Tom
Fair comment Tom! I guess I’ve just been used to cycling around Dublin and really noticed the lack of cyclists around the built up areas here in Malta. I was really thinking of the urbanized areas rather than out in the countryside when I wrote this post. In fact looking at the tripadvisor reviews I may investigate doing a cycle tour myself later in the year, looks pretty good. But my advice for the city/towns still holds – don’t try cycling if you want to make it in one piece!
Thanks for the suggestion though, good recommendations.
I’ve been cycling in Malta for as long as I can remember and it’s not really that bad. The number of cyclists on the road is increasing and drivers are becoming more and more cautious. Of course, you still find the odd nutcase every now and then who’s purpose in life seems to be to scare people away from cycling, but they’re the minority. Once you actually get used to the driving in Malta, cycling is pretty much the same. As long as you’re predictable on the road, you should be fine.
I would have to agree with David, road biking isn’t really possible in Malta, you’re lucky if you can walk around Malta sometimes, let alone cycle 🙂
This is true. Speaking from experience, anyone who tries walking from Paceville to Swieqi is taking their lives in their hands. You basically have to stroll along the side of a busy road and under a flyover, protected only by ‘pedestrian’ markings painted onto the tarmac, and hope that the drivers coming around the corner are paying attention.
So what do people do to work out and get exercise? I’m considering a job offer in Malta, and one of the pros in the pros column was that I could spend a lot more time outdoors on a bike, especially biking to work, and maybe end up staying fit, even into my 40s. But now I’m thinking, if it’s so crowded and everyone is in a car or a bus, how is that any different from Ireland?
Thanks for your experience & ideas!
Run! Every morning and evening people pound the (spacious) pavement up and down the seafront from Sliema to St Julian’s. Beautiful scenery, beautiful weather.
If you’re thinking of going to work by bike, that’s actually the safest time to be on the road. Traffic comes to an almost standstill. The average speed by car during the rush hour doesn’t even exceed 8km/h. Running is faster, cycling even more so.
Or.. If you must ride a bike, you could always go mountain-biking.. there’s plenty of places to enjoy 🙂
Hi, I am living in Malta and I can say you can cycle here relatively safely during weekend when the trafic is low (except evenings), specially when you get out of the central cities (Msida, Gzira, Sliema,Valletta).
Cycling is frequently faster than using the (new) bus system.
I would not recommend to cycle during the working week…the trafic jams here are terrible and you would likely inhale the poluted air (there is not much space in the cities to overtake the car safely).
The cycling is not easy because many roads are very steep. (an electric bike would be ideal)
Above menitoned strong rains and water on the streets in winter and very hot summer (with strong sun), there windy windy periods, with VERY strong winds with gust lasting for whole day(s) randomly during the whole year, so at that time cycling (even walking) is not comfortable e.g. dust is blowed in your eyes. (but is nice to watch the raw see) In the late autumn, a slight shower is not problem as the air is warm 😉
“So what do people do to work out and get exercise?”, the answer is more likely – nothing, … Maltese people eat, speak, clean their houses and cars… there are only few exceptions…
You do not live in Malta. You exist in Malta. I am a local and I cycle, I run and been doing it for the last 15 years without any injuries. The bottom line is that you keep to safe roads, avoid main roads and think smart. It is as asfe as any other busy city in Europe. As with excercise, what people do…. or can do is…. swimming, canooing, sailing, trekking, absailing, run marathons, football, gym, golf, basketball, hockey, horse riding, offroading, paragliding, watersports, diving …… and lots more. Get out and have fun
I came across this blog and would like to submit my option, biased as it may be!
Before I set up the company, Malta By Bike, I used to cycle pretty much everywhere in Malta. I would cycle to Junior College everyday (I live in Paola so had to pass through Marsa), when I started working in Sliema I would cycle to there too (first passing by my grandma’s to wash up) and would also cycle to camping trips, etc. I am talking in the past, about 1 year ago, because unfortunately time on my hands has decreased. I always cycled carefully, on pavements whenever possible, heading in the direction of traffic. I never had any major issues with traffic.
About a year ago I set up a company, Malta By Bike, to encourage bicycle usage by tourists. I hope that the more tourists using bicycles in our streets, the more Maltese will start considering exchanging their 4 wheels for 2! Our reviews speak for themselves, tourists are not finding any major obstacle to cycling here. Traffic is as busy as in any major European city, but as long as rules are respected there shouldn’t be any trouble with motorists. Then if you look at the West, North and South of the Island, not to mention Gozo and Comino, there is plenty of cycle opportunities away from busy traffic!
There is 1 evolving problem which I do caution guests about, the new bus system. I will not go into the merits of whether it was a good idea of getting the bendy buses onto our small Island, but yes, unfortunately they have been involved in more cycling incidents than I would like.
Let’s remove the perception Maltese have that cycling on the Island is suicide…It’s NOT! 🙂
I would love to see more people cycling around Malta – much better than clogging up the streets with cars chugging along for relatively short journeys. Living in the Sliema area as I do, the narrow streets are something of a concern, and not everybody appreciates cyclists coming along the pavement towards them, but I would love to be able to cycle to work if the roads were a little more forgiving. I think you face a difficult challenge in weaning the car loving Maltese away from their motors, but it sounds like you are heading in the right direction.
If you are interested in cycling tours and activities on Malta, check out Sergio’s excellent site at http://www.maltabybike.com.
Hello all !
I would like to invite you all bikers living in Malta to join a biking group, we are just starting and we have a facebook group called “bike malta”, there our idea is to share biking routes and post when we are going for a ride and like that make it in a group.
A great way to get to know new people with similar interests and continue discovering this beautiful island where we live and yes why not challenge the fact of not being so easy to bike here, everyday we are more people taking the streets with our bikes !
can i enjoy with a ride for the group?
How much I swap the horrible Dutch weather for Maltese. The cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands is truly amazing but the weather makes it a much less enjoyable experience (especially if you cycle every day to work).
Try the Malta rain season 🙂 I’ve built up some commuting experience in Malta (Daily Hal Lija – Valletta). It is a good alternative for a car and public transport, but you need to concentrate on the traffic around you constantly since dirvers are not used to cyclists and usually never see you coming. I would never change the bike for the car tot go to work as long as it’s within some 20 km single trip, regardless of weather in Holland or Malta.
I am cycling in Malta on my first visit. I brought a Brompton in my suitcase and had ridden an average 3 hours a day. I have not had a single problem, true the traffic can be heavy but when it gets heavy it also tends to get slower. I may have an advantage in having cycled in almost 20 countries worldwide with no major issues (the only place I would think twice about visiting again is Dubai) but I would say the secret is to be bold and confident claiming your place on the road – if you meekly wobble along the very edge of the road you will have a miserable time – but this is also applicable in the UK.
All my trips and excursions have been done on the bike.
Decent weather, apparently low crime and reasonable food prices ( eating what and where the locals do) make Malta a great place to visit and I look forward to more cycling here in the future.