Eco (& bike) friendly: there are more and more Bike-friendly Municipalities.

Our beautiful country is becoming more and more green and in favor of two wheels.

The Lockdown period has certainly meant that people have significantly increased their sensitivity towards environmental issues and the quality of the air we breathe, even if, in reality, the trend had already largely begun even before the advent of Covid.

A recent survey, carried out YouGov on behalf of NGO Transport & Environment and the European Public Health Alliance, which involved France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, found that for 68% of those interviewed it is necessary to provide for a significant reduction in air pollution.

People also showed themselves to be in favor of the new policies regarding traffic: from the exclusion of four wheels in certain areas of the city, the expansion of the cycle network and the inclusion of new limitations on the speed of cars.

Confirming how Italians have developed a strong sensitivity to the topic, among all the countries involved, Italy appears to be the first European nation in favor of reducing all types of environmental pollution.

Certainly the desire to escape and experience open spaces after months of confinement have supported the use of means other than the car, but great help is also given by incentives, ideas and projects, even at the individual level municipalities, to encourage the use of bicycles and other means of micro-mobility.

The last one in chronological order was Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The EBVF, a bilateral body for the trade, tertiary services and tourism sectors of the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, will reimburse up to a maximum of 400 euros to companies that make their premises Bike-friendly.

Racks, protected places to avoid theft, columns for charging your e-bikes, are just some of the equipment listed in the project, which can be appreciated in its entirety at link.

Also Palermo is moving towards a bike-friendly city: last June 10, in fact, the city council approved a resolution proposed by councilor Giusto Catania in which several streets in the center will become pedestrian areas.

The intervention will concern Via Maqueda, from Piazza Giulio Cesare to Piazza Verdi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele from Porta Nuova to Piazza Marina, previously considered only limited traffic areas.

Again, the Mayor of Bari, Antonio Decaro, announced that in the coming months there will be major works on the roads, with substantial changes to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists.

This type of intervention not only supports the reduction of smog, but is of great importance also support for tourism, as creating more space for people certainly also increases the attractiveness of our cities, thus attracting a greater number of people.

It seems that the whole of Italy has understood the importance of imagining the possibility of doing without the car, giving greater space to a more responsible and eco-friendly citizen.