The use of motorized two-wheelers is growing in cities but the improvement in safety is still a sore point.
Motorcycle travel in the city went from 2.6% in 2019 to 4.1% in 2022, a year in which on average 14.42 motorcycles per 100 inhabitants circulated in Italian capitals (they were 13.53 in 2021.13, 38 in 2015).
These are some of the data from the eighth report of the Focus2R Observatory, the research promoted by Confindustria Ancma (National Association of motorcycle and motorcycle accessories) with Legambiente, developed by Ambiente Italia.
The survey, presented in Milan, is the result of a questionnaire sent in 2022 to 106 provincial capital municipalities and processed during 2023, thanks to the responses of 99 administrations.
For density of motorcycles and scooters, the Ligurian provinces of Imperia and Savona stand out with around 30 motorcycles per 100 inhabitants, followed by Pesaro, Rimini, Trieste, Agrigento and La Spezia with more than 20 motorcycles.
A sore point in cities is the possibility for two-wheeled vehicles to access the lanes reserved for public transport which is still limited, transit is in fact not permitted in 88.2% of cities.
However, the availability of dedicated parking is improving: during 2022, 10 municipalities have decided to create new parking spaces for motorized two-wheeled vehicles, which would bring the new spaces available to over 480.
As regards sharing, development is still lagging behind the growth of that dedicated to bicycles, even if in 2022 the sharing of electric motorbikes/scooters is available in 13 municipalities, 5 more than in 2020 and 10 more than in 2015 A sore point is the improvement of two-wheel safety which is not yet considered a priority by 42% of municipalities plus 21% who indicate it as a low priority.
However, the overall trend is slightly improving compared to 2021: last year only 8% of municipalities indicated very high priority, while this year the figure rose to 10%.
THE WEBSITE:
ANCMA – National Association of Cycle and Motorcycle Accessories