For now they are the two Regions that have put the most money on cycle mobility: Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. Autumn with the resumption of economic and study activities is the main test to understand how many and how they use bike and cycle paths. Smog levels usually rise at this time of year and therefore those who can get around by bike. The Lombardy Region has favored mountain municipalities. A resolution in August allocated 10 million euros for cycle-pedestrian paths, cycle paths and agro-pastoral roads. The money is available for the years 2022 and 2023 and covers financing up to 50% of eligible expenses. In Municipalities with less than 5.000 the contribution rises to 90%. Emilia Romagna has focused on a wider project the 'Bike to work', which encourages travel in restricted traffic areas and at reduced speeds, the use of bike-sharing. A system that brings together several needs: environmental, health and reduction of private cars. At the disposal of the Emilia-Romagna capitals - plus cities such as Carpi, Imola and Faenza - there are 9,8 million in the three-year period 2021-2023. Fresh resources that are added to another 10 million for Municipalities under 50 thousand inhabitants.
The decisions of the two Regions exposed to very serious environmental risks arrive on the eve of the Anci National Conference on Sustainable Mobility. An appointment in Milan from 24 to 30 September next, which will not only have to draw the lines for the next few years throughout Italy, but also take stock of the general state of conscious mobility We remind you that in Europe some cities continue to top the rankings . Often these are lack of investments or programming (the opposite of the two provisions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna) that weigh on people's lives. In the latest June ranking of the European Environment Agency (EEA) there are Cremona, Vicenza, Brescia and Pavia , all in the Po Valley and reported with "very poor" air quality.
If Lombardy from next year will intervene on new sections or extraordinary maintenance of the extra-urban cycle network, Emilia Romagna is more aligned with the national ecological transition. It wants to boost soft mobility in daily travel for work, study or leisure, also providing for direct interventions by the Mayors. After all, a sustainable internal network in competition with motor vehicles. We made a sort of pact mutual commitment between the Region and the individual Municipality for the realization of projects and objectives, explains the Region. The pact also includes 4,5 million euros to finance the replacement of obsolete vehicles with non-polluting ones. The planning is triennial, but the first results should be seen as early as 2022.
