New funds allocated for urban cycle paths and tourist cycle paths

The funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan foreseen by the decree of the Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, have been allocated.

We are talking about a total of 3.2 billion euros, 2 of which are dedicated to strengthening water infrastructure and supply systems, 630 million to improve connections to the Special Economic Zones and 600 million euros allocated to create urban cycle paths and tourist cycle paths.

“To date we have distributed almost all of the Pnrr and complementary plan resources under our responsibility and we will complete the process in mid-December. The result achieved in such a short time was also possible thanks to the effective collaboration with the Regions and other territorial bodies. In the meantime, we are working to ensure the implementation of the projects on schedule,” Giovannini reported.

The draft decree specifies, as regards urban cycle paths, that 150 million euros will be provided by the Pnrr for the strengthening of cycling mobility while another 50 million will be allocated for projects already underway.

The 50% of the resources will be dedicated to the South and, in any case, will go to the 45 cities with a population exceeding 50,000 inhabitants and universities with over 5,000 enrolled students.

The funds will be used for the construction of 565 additional kilometers of urban and metropolitan cycle paths, which will connect railway stations to universities.

Municipalities will have to build at least 200 kilometers of slopes by 32 December 2023 and a further 365 kilometers by June 2026.

If they fail to meet this request, the penalty is financial forfeiture.

To access the financing, the Municipalities must also send an expression of interest to the General Directorate for local and regional public transport and sustainable mobility of the Mims within 20 days of registration of the decree.

As regards the development of tourist cycle paths, however, the Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility assigns 400 million to the Regions and the Autonomous Province of Trento for the years from 2021 to 2026, of which 150 million of state funds under current legislation and 250 million in European funding.

OF these funds, 50% is intended for the south and is dedicated to the construction of 1,235 kilometers of tourist cycle paths, to be completed by June 2026.

In particular, 51 million are assigned to the Vento cycle route (Venice-Turin), 22.5 million to the Sole cycle route (Verona-Florence), 14 million to the Grab cycle route (Grande Raccordo Anulare delle Bici di Roma), 39.5 million to the cycle route of the Apulian aqueduct (from Caposele in the province of Avellino to Santa Maria di Leuca in the province of Lecce through Campania, Basilicata and Puglia), 74 million to the Adriatic one, 44.5 million to the Tirrenica one, 30 million to the Garda cycle path , 33 million for the Sardinia cycle route, 61.5 million for the Magna Grecia cycle route (Basilicata-Calabria-Sicily) and 30 million for the Trieste-Lignano-Sabbiadoro-Venice cycle route.