Italy is increasingly Bike Friendly: the two-wheel market is constantly growing.

Boom in the bike sector: 2 million two-wheelers sold in 2021.

The data contained in the sixth report of theFocus2R Observatory, research promoted by Confindustria ANCMA with Legambiente, puts the exponential growth of the sector in black and white.

Not only that, measures aimed at facilitating, supporting and enhancing the use of bicycles are also constantly growing: a large average availability of cycle paths in the city is estimated, just think that there are 65.5 km more of paths in Milan alone.

The data analyzed were collected through a questionnaire dedicated to mobility and infrastructure for cycles and motorcycles, sent to 106 Italian capital cities.

The report, therefore, provides rich and valuable information on cycle paths, sharing mobility, dedicated parking and many other elements related to mobility.

Paolo Magri, president of ANCMA, reported that: “The work of Focus2R still allows us to shine a spotlight on good practices and above all on the gray areas that affect urban mobility planning, in the hope of triggering contamination and sharing between Municipalities. And it does so at a time characterized by a great desire for two wheels and a new demand for individual mobility, which further strengthens the role of bicycles and motorcycles, underlining their unique peculiarities such as usability, environmental sustainability, and speed in travel. Two wheels are a solution today: all the indicators in the report make it urgent and necessary for legislators and local governments to pay greater attention to this mobility and its integration with other transport solutions".

The sale of bicycles and e-bikes in 2020 was approximately 2 million units, 17% more than in 2019.

Going into more detail, the sale of e-bikes in 2020 grew by +44% compared to 2019 and, in the first six months of 2021, 157,000 e-bikes were sold, recording a +12% compared to the same period in 2020.

As regards cycle paths, 31 municipalities have created a total of 225.5 km of new cycle paths.

Most of the administrations interviewed have introduced more than 2km of slopes, while 7 have created more than 10km.

In the top 5 for cycling infrastructure we find:

1. Reggio Emilia,
2. Wedge;
3. Cesena;
4. Ravenna;
5. Cosenza

The number of municipalities where it is allowed to transport bicycles on public transport is also growing (52%).

The national president of Legambiente, Stefano Ciafani, declared that “In a particularly difficult year due to the pandemic, the report shows a country that is moving and trying to do so in an increasingly safe and sustainable way. Above all, the growth in numbers linked to bicycles makes us look positively at the future of mobility systems in our cities. Within the PNRR there is now the possibility of truly realizing a change of direction through the tenders published by the ministries for the allocation of resources to be allocated, among other things, also to the new mobility. In this phase, both the ability of the cities' technical offices to present adequate projects and the support of central public technical structures that make up for the chronic shortcomings too often highlighted by most municipalities will be essential. All this must be done with a particularly attentive eye to road safety and to the weakest road users who still today, the numbers always tell us, pay the highest price in terms of human lives and health for a wrong and now unsustainable model of living our cities."