Italian member FIAB achieves a historic milestone as Italian parliament announces pro cycling measures

December was a good month for cyclists in Italy as the parliament approved some of the most positive cycling measures in the history of the country. Behind this great success lies a lot of hard work and efficient advocacy by FIAB, the Italian advocacy federation, a proud member of the ECF and the Leadership Programme. 

First things first, let’s see the new measures in detail. The Parliament announced:

• 35 million euros for Bicibus, a project to promote commuting to school on bikes
• 5 million euros for improving cycle paths
• The adoption of the “In Itinere” legislation.  One of the main Leadership Programme objectives, it sought to extend legislative protection afforded to people travelling to work by car, public transport or walking to those cycling as well. Finally every commuter is protected if an accident occurs en-route to work.
• 5 million euros investment for the Verona-Firenze section of the Ciclopista del Sol (part of the Eurovelo 7 and Bicitalia routes)

The adoption of such a wide range of measures, and a financial commitment as well, is great news for FIAB team, and a reward for all their hard efforts working with the Italian Parliament. It shows the concrete results that can be achieved through successful advocacy. This also shows the impact that the Leadership Programme can have. As Francesco Baroncini, President of FIAB said: “This was a good day for Italian cyclists and ECF in general. FIAB increased its lobbying capacity, and today we can see a first, concrete result. The Leadership Programme has been a push, and today we are reaping the rewards”.

In particular, the adoption of the “In Itinere” legislation is a real coup for FIAB. Previously, under Article 12 of Legislative Decree 38/2000 people travelling to work through private means were covered by workplace insurance. This cover was only extended to ‘necessary’ modes of transport however, for example if public transport facilities weren’t sufficient.

Despite this covering cars, public transport, motorbikes and walking, Inail (Istituto Nazionale Assicurazione Infortuni sul Lavoro, National Insurance Institute of Injuries in Workplace) decided that those who use bicycles instead of public transport weren’t to be covered, as it wasn’t ‘necessary’ to use a bicycle, as they could use public transport.

FIAB has been fighting this since 2007, when they drafted a replacement bill and took a petition with 12000 signatures to the legislature, and finally, on 22 December they achieved success, proving what a strong advocacy campaign is capable of achieving, showcasing the value of the Leadership Programme yet again. This has now made it easier to Bike2Work in Italy, showing the wide range of effects successful advocacy can have.

This is only the beginning for FIAB, with the group hoping to achieve many more results and improvements for Italian cycling culture, an opportunity they are eager to seize.

Learn more about the Leadership Programme here.