The Health Foundation speaks: a ride saves a life.

We have already said that sport is good for us in every way.

It improves mood, physical fitness, the environment and even the economy because it reduces costs for drugs and, above all, healthcare costs.

Recent English research by the charity Health Foundation, found that the various restrictions caused by the Covid-19 wave have increased the habit of walking and cycling.

A custom which, according to researchers, would represent a great opportunity for the development of healthier and more environmentally friendly forms of green mobility.

The Health Foundation uses the tool Heat of the WHO, a tool launched in 2011 with the aim of developing an effective method and a practical tool to estimate the economic savings resulting from the reduction in mortality related to a greater diffusion of walking and cycling on a regular basis.

Research conducted by the Association found that if the exercise levels of the entire UK population were increased by a total of 30 minutes of walking and cycling each week, up to 6,100 premature deaths could be prevented.

“It is essential that governments take these goals into account by implementing them in new infrastructure projects,” reported David Finch, Senior Fellow at the Health Foundation, “A good transportation system is essential for a healthy society. The impact of air pollution on health is well known, but transport affects the health of people across society in different ways. Investing in transport is one way we can help address growing health inequalities and regional disparities in people's health”.

 Furthermore, based on the results provided by Heat, it was found that the age group between 50 and 74 years old would receive the most benefits.

And in Italy?

Even in our country, the concepts of living in the open air and taking advantage of intelligent ways for small daily trips are evolving.

“Covid Lanes”, Legambiente dossier released at the end of December 2020, confirms a significant increase in bicycle travel and great attention to sustainable mobility; as proof of this, it was found that in September 2020 bike trips increased by 27.5% compared to September 2019.

To support this major change of direction towards green micromobility, the various Urban Sustainable Mobility Plans, or Pums, foresee the great goal of 2,626 km of cycle paths, to be added to the 2,341 km already existing.

«2020 was evidently a turning point for cycle paths but now a decisive leap in quality is needed to confirm the development of cycle mobility and to also guarantee safety for those traveling by bike” reported Edoardo Zanchini, the vice president of Legambiente, who continues: “The objective is to rethink urban space to bring quality and reduce the risk of accidents by adopting infrastructural solutions to reduce speed and road space dedicated to cars. The objective must be to double the cycle paths by 2025, to send a clear message of positive change to those who live in cities, and transform the new pop-ups into truly protected routes. To achieve all this, we need to include this type of urban infrastructure in the Recovery Plan and invest one billion euros in five years"..

The large cities have all moved in this direction: Bologna, Brescia, Cagliari, Genoa, Lecce, Naples, Padua, Milan, Turin and Rome have ambitious plans to build their own roads suitable for citizens and two-wheelers.

Another fundamental point of the issue is inherent to the world of cycle tourism, which is attracting ever greater interest and increasingly perceived as the best way to enjoy unforgettable moments in the open air, looking at the surrounding area with different eyes.