Our members and committee work on a voluntary basis as one team to lobby in favour of cycling, safe transport infrastructure and sustainable commuting in Malta and Gozo.
Rota is composed of approximately 100 members and countless followers, each sharing their views, inspiring others to cycle, or contributing directly to solve mobility-related issues thanks to their expertise in the respective fields. From engineers to lawyers, architects, IT professionals, nurses, doctors, economists and accountants, managers and business people, social workers, students, educators, academics and researchers, artists, civil servants and politicians, we all come together as one in an attempt to shift the Maltese way of commuting.
The Committee
President
Mark Trapani
Mark is a wildlife documentary filmmaker with degrees in Chemistry & Biology and Creativity & Innovation. Currently studying for a second MA in Wildlife Documentary Production in Manchester, he's also a passionate cyclist. Having lived in the UK, Belgium and Portugal, he's witnessed firsthand the benefits of cycling and hopes to bring those successes to Malta.
Vice President
Juan Buhagiar
Juan is a Software Development Team Lead with a Masters in Artificial Intelligence. He learned to bike in Groningen, Netherlands, where alternative transport was prioritized. He now bikes for short distances in Malta and believes in a multi-modal approach. Despite local infrastructure challenges, Juan sees advantages in Malta's village proximity and climate.
Secretary General
Paolo Cassar Manghi
Paolo Cassar Manghi is a 25-year-old architecture degree graduate. With early, vague memories on a bicycle, eventually he hopped back on the saddle at the age of 13 to explore nature and the countryside in the south. In around 2013 he discovered the Rota community, which helped him understand cycling and use it as his daily means of transport to Junior College, eventually University in later years, and now a 40-minute ride to work in Sliema which he happily commutes each time.
In 2020, Paolo bought a pedelec bicycle for greater flexibility to his needs. He chooses either bike depending on his destination, distance, time of day, meeting clients, and even shopping or going out in the weekend, as traffic and parking issues are never a problem. In almost 8 years since turning 18, he has not bought a car and does not intend to anytime soon. While possessing a driving licence, he does not own a car. The bicycle and if needed the bus, remain his ways to move.
With everything that Paolo has learnt from the community, he believes it is his time to contribute back. Having joined Rota's committee in 2022, he hopes that his knowledge of roads, cycle routes and designing mock-ups of alternative and efficient allocations of space in street design, would help bring up national discussion on sustainable mobility and the climate, for change on our small island.
Finance Officer
Ian Tamaris
Ian, a 'rehabilitated' accountant from South Africa, has been living in Sliema for 7 years. He supports Rota's advocacy principles and envisions a Malta where bicycles have their own lanes, parks are shaded and walkable, and fast-moving traffic is on the outskirts. He dreams of children biking to school and the elderly using pedelecs for daily errands. However, he often wakes up to reality.
Public Relations Officer
Daniëlle Duijst
Daniëlle was born and raised in the Netherlands, but moved to Malta two years ago. She started cycling when she was around 4 years old and the first time she drove straight into the bushes across the street. However, she has never given up on cycling since.
Her dream for Malta is for it to be more accessible for cycling, walking and other alternative transport. She is still exploring the best ways for her to use the bicycle in hot and hilly Malta. In daily life, she works on researching and improving the User Experience of different Websites & Apps. She hopes to apply her creative skills at Rota as the Public Relations Officer.
Events Team
Duane Grech
Duane recently rediscovered cycling through a friend's Tallinja eBike and has since switched most of his transportation needs to a folding eBike, occasionally using public transport. He overcame fears and lack of coordination to become a proud cycling advocate, hoping for a future where Malta prioritizes active mobility and public transport over cars.
Events Team
Suzie Calì
Suzie extends herself in the interplay between social sciences and environmental sciences, poetry, hiking and gardening. She currently studies Anthropology & Psychology at the University of Malta with a background in Environmental Engineering.
Coming from Sliema meant that not only were amenities and necessities nearby, but also that the issues and injustices arising from car dependency were so pronounced that the road was rendered a subjugated space for alternative modes of transport. Possessing a driver's license was impractical and unappealing; therefore, she uses a mix of alternative modes of transport.
She believes that active mobility, as a moral and practical positive deviant in a car-dependent and polarized island, can serve as a catalyst not only for a more equitable and sustainable transport system, as well as for the far-reaching positive effects on physical, social, environmental, economic, and mental well-being.
Policy Team
Adrian Cassar
Adrian, a Structural Engineer specializing in sustainable materials like timber, now lives in Rotterdam and enjoys commuting, exploring, and having fun using the city's impressive cycling network. Having cycled through the countryside and villages of his hometown Siġġiewi, he understands the need for a good bicycle network to encourage more people to cycle. As interest and awareness of the benefits of cycling grow, so will the community and its cycling network.
Policy Team
Ed Hateley
Ed moved to Malta a year ago from the UK, where he lived in London and Manchester. He started cycling as a student and never stopped. In Malta, he sees great potential for cycling and walking due to the good weather and short journeys. Ed works as a civil servant in the UK's Department for Transport, where he's involved in High Speed 2, Europe's largest infrastructure project. At Rota, he's part of the policy team, aiming to find practical solutions to complex problems.
Policy Team
Sergio Sammut
Sergio Sammut studied architecture at the University of Malta. As a junior architect, he is now specialising in property valuation. Outside of his profession, he is an amateur triathlete. He believes in cycling infrastructure as a gatekeeper for personal freedoms, and social equity. Rota can be the key to finding a better balance between cars, public transportation, bicycle riding, and walking.
Communications Team
Karin Cassar
Karin has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing her Master's in Psychotherapy. She works for an NGO that provides therapy to those affected by traffic accidents and has a keen interest in Maltese road safety's impact on mental health. Karin has been cycling for most of her life, from a hobby to an athletic and competitive level, and believes in the holistic benefits of cycling. She wants to make Maltese roads safer for cyclists and encourage more people to use bikes.
Communications Team
Joana Chmara
Joanna Chmara, a Polish-born freelance language tutor and travel writer, is an avid cyclist who loves using her bike to explore the world. She believes that by improving Malta's cycling infrastructure and increasing awareness about micro-mobility, the country can become a more sustainable and accessible place for everyone.
Communications Team
Adriana Arezza
Adriana, originally from Toronto, Canada, has a background in Public Health and was inspired by the pedestrian-centric roads in the Netherlands. After moving to Malta, she sees an opportunity to apply her learnings to the country's unique landscape and promote novel transportation, sustainable mobility, and safer infrastructure for the benefit of residents' health and quality of life.
Communications Team
Maria Fernanda Sierra Borré
Maria is a passionate anthropologist and amateur photographer with a strong belief in the power of community and the transformative potential of small actions. She finds solace in the freedom and joy of cycling. Her anthropological background has given her a deep understanding of the importance of cultural context and human behavior in shaping our surroundings. Through her work and hobbies, Maria aims to promote sustainable living, community building, and positive change through individual actions.
Sponsorships
Sarah Duff
Sarah, originally from the UK, loves adventure and different cultures. She now lives in Malta, drawn to the fantastic weather and the chance to spend more time outdoors. With a passion for endurance challenges, Sarah has taken on long distance bike rides, ultra marathons, and even rowed across oceans. She hopes to use her organizational skills and enthusiasm for active mobility to promote and encourage it in Malta.
Community Outreach
Gabriel Buhagiar
Gabriel Buhagiar is a 26-year-old who became interested in road safety after experiencing a near-fatal accident with his motorcycle last August, which was caused by a careless car driver. He is motivated to take an active role in making Malta a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists, and the community as a whole.
Locality Liaison Officer
Godwin Saliba
Godwin is a social worker and father of two. After teaching his son to ride a bike, he noticed the unsafe conditions on Maltese roads. Through his work, he sees how poor road infrastructure affects social inequality and health. Godwin believes in improving access to cycling, but knows the road ahead is tough.
