Mobility on two wheels has seen a "gradual rise in the political agenda of Italian cities, albeit still too slow and accompanied by two recurring alarm bells: the safety of road users and the deep gap between the north and south of the country in measures implemented ".
These are the results of the fifth report of the Focus2R Observatory, the research promoted by Confindustria ANCMA (National Association of Cycle Motorcycle Accessories) with Legambiente, prepared by the consultancy firm Ambiente Italia and presented this morning in a webinar.
The questionnaire addressed to 104 municipalities, to which 79 administrations responded this year, shows in 2019 the increase in cycle paths, pedestrian and cycle paths, 20 and 30 km / h zones (+ 6% compared to 2018 and + 20% from 2015) , the growth in the possibility of accessing bicycles to the lanes reserved for public transport and the number of Municipalities with bike interchange points in railway stations, while the cities where the transport of bicycles on public transport is allowed and those equipped with a bike sharing service, which went from 57% in 2018 to 53% in 2019.
It is a concern that "253 of the 3,173 road victims in 2019 were cyclists (up 15% compared to 2018). the Focus2R report is progressively entering municipal programs: 48% of the municipalities interviewed consider improving road safety a very high or high priority. While it appears that municipalities are 'letting their guard down' on motorcycles.
listi with the two main urban mobility planning tools (PUM and PGTU) which in 59% of cases does not consider their safety a priority ".
"It seems clear that there is still a lot to do, in particular for the safety of users. A new demand for individual mobility comes from the cities, also made alive by the consequences of the pandemic, which have enhanced some peculiarities of two wheels such as usability, environmental sustainability, distance and speed in moving. This makes urban centers the ideal terrain to consolidate with more courage what has already been done and to experiment with new measures in favor of mobility on two wheels and its integration with other transport solutions "commented the president of ANCMA Paolo Magri.
"The two-wheeler industry is ready to face this path and the challenge of electric mobility, despite the awareness of the difficulties that this path entails: it will in fact need time, investments and the support of the institutions to support them in a subsidiary manner" he added.
"A real change in habits is taking place but the usual emergencies remain evident - underlines Stefano Ciafani, president of Legambiente - More than 83,000 people died between road collisions and urban pollution in 2019, for a social cost that Istat estimated at € 16.9 billion, 1% of national GDP. We can and must change. A first step could be the refinancing of the National Road Safety Plan for soft mobility projects co-financed by local authorities and strengthening the regional rail transport, local public transport and sharing mobility ".