Wednesday, October 4, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Special Pages
    • Pets
    • Tech
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • On the Road
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Cravings
    • Environment & Sustainability
    • Agriculture
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Special Pages
    • Pets
    • Tech
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • On the Road
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Cravings
    • Environment & Sustainability
    • Agriculture
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Business Biz Plus

Veni, vidi, bici: Is Rome set for a cycling ‘revolution’?

AFPbyAFP
April 22, 2021, 7:55 pm
in Biz Plus
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

By Alvise Armellini

ROME, Italy—With its historic seven hills, crazy traffic, cobbles and notoriously crumbling roads, Rome has never been the ideal city for cyclists—but with the coronavirus pandemic, things are changing.

As elsewhere, streets emptied by COVID-19 restrictions have given cyclists room to breathe, but a new network of bike lanes and generous government subsidies to buy bicycles have also helped fuel the boom.

Women ride their bicycle across the Sant’Angelo bridge on April 07, 2021 in Rome. With its historic seven hills, crazy traffic, cobbles and notoriously crumbling roads, Rome has never been the ideal city for cyclists–but with the coronavirus pandemic, things are changing. AFP

One of the converts is Valeria Picchi, a 36-year-old mother-of-two who sold her scooter last year and bought an e-bike with a kids’ trailer.  

“I feel like a rare bird,” she told AFP. “People look at us, my kids are thrilled… I’m becoming a bit of a celebrity in the neighborhood.”

Many in Rome still balk at the idea of setting off on a bicycle into the throng of buzzing Vespas, dented old Fiats and other kings of the Roman traffic jungle.

Cyclists in the eternal city also have to brave streets so badly potholed that Honda, Piaggio and other motorbike manufacturers reportedly use them to test the limits of the suspension of their new models.  

Picchi was persuaded by the fact that she can do much of her commute and the school run on a proper bike lane, protected from traffic—a privilege denied to most Romans, at least for the moment.  

She also took up a government scheme offering up to 500 euros ($600) to people buying a new or second-hand bike or electric scooter, which received 119,000 applications last year.

“A revolution is under way and I am part of it!” she exclaimed, wheeling her bike around the Villa Leopardi park in the northern Nomentano district on a sunny but chilly spring morning.

“We’re not Denmark, we also need a revolution in our way of thinking, but we will slowly, slowly get there.”

Painting over cobbles

Some think the progress is too slow.

“Five years ago you hardly saw any bicycles in Rome. Nobody used them except for a ride in the park on Sundays,” said Roberto Scacchi, regional head of pro-environment lobby Legambiente.  

But speaking to AFP from a main road near the Termini train station, where a bike lane was recently added, he said: “I don’t see any revolution… It’s still one bicycle for every 100 cars.”   

According to the European Cyclists’ Federation, which has collated data about European capitals from different years, only 0.6 percent of Romans cycle regularly, against 49 percent of Copenhagen residents.  

Mayor Virginia Raggi last year announced 150 kilometers (90 miles) of new bike lanes, adding to an existing network of around 250 kilometers, and getting the city closer to its own ideal target of 500 kilometers.

But Legambiente complains that just some 15 kilometers have been completed so far, and most of them are “temporary,” meaning a line of paint on the side of the road, with no barriers to protect cyclists from cars.

One major cycle lane in the north of the city abruptly turns into cobbles at points—rather than being replaced with tarmac, they have simply been painted over.

‘Bubble could burst’

Giulio Maselli, a bike shop owner in central Rome, reported a jump in sales of at least 50 per cent last year, but said Rome urgently needs to upgrade its cycling infrastructure to keep up with demand.

“Otherwise this bubble is destined to burst,” he said.

Local authorities insist they are on it. Stefano Brinchi, head of municipal transport agency Roma Mobilita, said the city was working to foster an “irreversible” shift towards greener mobility.

“We need to dispel the myth that Rome should be considered a bike-unfriendly city,” he said, pointing to, among other things, the grand plan of a 45-kilometer cycling ring road around the city.

The so-called GRAB (Great Bicycle Ring Road) would join the Colosseum, the Vatican area and the hip Trastevere district to lesser known districts in the east of Rome, like Tor Pignattara, and big parks in the north, like the Aniene natural reserve.  

According to campaigners, the project is fully funded, officially endorsed by the city of Rome, and could be ready by the end of 2022.  

“It’s going be the most beautiful cycle path in the world,” Legambiente’s Scacchi said. “Today, unfortunately, it’s the most beautiful cycle path, but in the virtual world.”

Tags: bicyclesbike lanesCOVID-19ItalyRome
ADVERTISEMENT
AFP

AFP

Related Posts

Foreign tourists in PH surpassed 4m in 9 months

byOthel V. Campos
October 3, 2023, 9:45 pm
0
8
Sunlight Air takes flight into new era: Relocates to NAIA Terminal 4 for elevated travel experience

International Tourism receipts reached P344 billion from January to September this year, as arrivals topped the 4-million mark, Department of...

Read more

Uy’s PH Resorts Group in talks with AppleOne as Cebu casino investor

byJenniffer B. Austria
October 3, 2023, 9:35 pm
0
8
Uy’s PH Resorts Group in talks with AppleOne as Cebu casino investor

Resorts Group Holdings Inc., a company led by businessman Dennis Uy, is in talks with Cebu-based property developer AppleOne Properties...

Read more

DHSUD opens celebration of National Shelter Month

byManila Standard
October 3, 2023, 9:25 pm
0
8
DHSUD opens celebration of National Shelter Month

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) opened this year’s celebration of the National Shelter Month, highlighting President...

Read more

ODA loans, grants to PH hit $32.4b in 2022

byJulito G. Rada
October 3, 2023, 9:20 pm
0
8
Makati Shangri-La reopens, starts accepting bookings

Active official development assistance (ODA) loans and grants to the Philippines amounted to $32.40 billion in 2022 as the government...

Read more

US poultry supplier to expand local network, operations

byOthel V. Campos
October 3, 2023, 9:15 pm
0
8
WHO worried bird flu might adapt to humans ‘more easily’

A US supplier of quality broiler breeding stock plans to expand its operations in support of the country’s restocking efforts...

Read more

NDC, Quest Ventures team up to lift investments in start-up, innovation

byOthel V. Campos
October 3, 2023, 9:00 pm
0
8
NDC, Quest Ventures team up to lift investments in start-up, innovation

The National Development Company (NDC), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) tasked to support companies...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • 9 experiences for a perfectly relaxing staycation
  • Paramilitary shells kill 10 civilians in Khartoum: activists
  • US sanctions China-based drug network over fentanyl
  • Marcos lifts rice price cap
  • Meta plans to charge Europeans for ad free Facebook and Instagram: source
  • Marcos condoles with family of 3 fishermen killed in Masinloc accident
  • DOH appeals for additional P400 million to expand access for anti-cervical cancer vaccine
  • Frasco: We did not use Indonesian scenery for PH brand mood video

Advertisement

Latest News

Marcos condoles with family of 3 fishermen killed in Masinloc accident

byManila Standard
October 4, 2023, 10:52 am
0
8
‘No Hunger’ push starts in Siargao

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday extended his condolences to the families of three Filipino fishermen who died in a...

Read more

DOH appeals for additional P400 million to expand access for anti-cervical cancer vaccine

byManila Standard
October 4, 2023, 10:44 am
0
8
DOH appeals for additional P400 million to expand access for anti-cervical cancer vaccine

In a recent budget hearing, Senator Jose Victor "JV" Ejercito interpellated the Department of Health (DOH) in a strategic discussion...

Read more

Frasco: We did not use Indonesian scenery for PH brand mood video

byManila Standard
October 4, 2023, 10:38 am
0
8
Frasco: We did not use Indonesian scenery for PH brand mood video

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco on Tuesday said she will consult the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office...

Read more

IMF: Maharlika fund can close infrastructure gap in the Philippines

byManila Standard Business
October 4, 2023, 10:28 am
0
8
IMF raises 2021 growth estimate for PH to 4.6%

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team who recently visited the Philippines said the Maharlika Investment Fund could help narrow the...

Read more

Turkey arrests dozens after Ankara attack

byAFP
October 4, 2023, 10:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey on Tuesday arrested dozens of suspected Kurdish militants and their supporters after an attack on the...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Pets
  • Tech
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Cravings
  • Environment & Sustainability
  • Agriculture
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App