European Mobility Week 2016 – Skola Sajf sessions

What is the main cause of pollution? What problems are we facing because of pollution and how can these be reduced? How is pollution effecting our daily living and is it having a financial burden on our economy, even at family level? What alternatives do we have to conventional transport modes?

These questions along with other related issues were raised and discussed by the Malta National Electromobility Platform (MNEP) Unit within Transport Malta with around 1,500 children aged between 7 and 12 years, who are attending the Skola Sajf Program coordinated by the Foundation for Educational Services. Four sessions where held during the month of July and included one session in Gozo. This activity was held as part of this year’s annual programme for European Mobility Week 2016 and European Mobility Actions.

The talks started off with an introduction to the subject, discussing the effects of both air and noise pollution, the greenhouse effect and respiratory complications which are consequences of pollution. In order to reduce traffic jams and emissions, several suggestions were put forward by the children themselves. Some of these included car pooling, car sharing and cleaner transport modes. Other modes of transport were also suggested. These included public transport, the use of ferries, walking, cycling, electric vehicles, travelling in a car with 3 people or more, making use of the priority lanes when using such modes of transport, as well as the safe use of bicycle lanes.

Electric vehicles were one of the main focuses of these talks, so much so that an electric car was on display. To give children something to look forward to, they were given the opportunity to take photographs with one of the electric vehicles owned by Transport Malta, during a short break. A number of benefits of electric vehicles were highlighted such as the fact that they do not produce any noise or emissions, cost less to run and can easily be charged at home.

When branching out into the subject of safety on the streets, emphasis was made on the importance of the proper use of the street, especially the use of pelican crossing and zebra crossing, by giving several tips and examples. A lot of importance was given to the ‘STOP-LOOKLISTEN’ rule as well as making sure that cars have completely stopped before crossing the road. With regards to cycling, a number of benefits and other relevant tips were mentioned. Safety tips like the importance of having proper clothing and equipment as well as regular servicing of the bicycle were heavily stressed.

To make the sessions more entertaining for the children, on the right reply to certain key questions, a t-shirt promoting the European Mobility Week as well as the Malta National Bicycle Ride was presented.