ECF member FIAB reports on a busy autumn in Italy of cycling events and promotion. From multimodality studies, to bike-to-work incentives, workshops and cross-border cycling marathons; Italy has it all! 

SUPPORTING CYCLING FOR LIVABLE CITIES: WORKSHOP

As a follow-up to the European Mobility Week, a networking event was held on October 1st in Venice, organised by the European Commission together with Eurocities and ECF. It outlines strategies and instruments for administrators and technicians to invest in bicycle infrastructure in order to encourage the development of a flourishing culture of cycling with the presentation of the innovative ideas from the European cities.

STUDIES ON MULTIMODALITY 

On the occasion of European Mobility Week, the Puglia Region organised a public event in Bari on September 18th to illustrate the results of three studies on multimodality and Bicycle Mobility in Puglia. The event was carried out in collaboration with the University of Salento’s Law Department, within the ‘INTERMODAL’ project of Transborder Cooperation.

The INTERMODAL project in which the Puglia Region is a partner, aimed at finding solutions and strategies of intermodal and sustainable transport on the Puglia coastal area both for reducing traffic which reaches a peak in the summer months and to offer valid alternatives to be applied to other trans-border situations. Another result of the INTERMODAL project, the Puglia Region will also finance the first « Vélostation » in the Centre-South of Italy, near the main railway station in Bari. 

The Region Puglia also re-printed the Ciclovia Adriatica guide, which crosses railway stations, ports and airports and is very useful also for cyclists coming from faraway or from other countries of the Mediterranean. The guide, which was written in collaboration with FIAB, is also available in English. You can find it online, both on Bicitalia.it and on Eurovelo.com.

 BIKE-TO-WORK

On October 1st all the employees of the public hospital San Bortolo in Vicenza were invited to go to work on their bikes. It's the first time in Italy that an important public health structure accepts FIAB's proposal of « Bike-to-work » to promote the use of the bicycle. The initiative, which took place thanks to the engagement of 20 FIAB-Vicenza's volunteers, has the patronage of the municipality of Vicenza. The event is part of a series of other initiatives which will continue during the whole month of October for the prevention of illnesses.

RIDE WITH US

Claudio and Daniele, two friends from Venice decided to cycle from Venice to Copenhagen with the idea of symbolically linking the two cities which have in common their history by the water and their preoccupation that climate change will represent a threat for their future. The bicycle marathon will start from Venice on October 14th and should arrive in Copenhagen before the 31st, the day before the presentation of the 5th Intergovernmental Panel on Climage Change (IPCC) report. 

For information and details click on: www.ridewithus.eu
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Presentation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxVy5QlrGaE