GESSATE (MI) – The new bike station, built by the city council with the support of organizations such as the Fondazione di Comunità Milano, Plenitude , and the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, Monza, Brianza, and Lodi , was inaugurated yesterday, May 13, in the north parking lot of the Gessate metro terminus on the M2 (green) line . This step toward sustainable mobility is clear and evident, and the Gessate bike station represents a unique project, the first of its kind in Italy.
This facility is located in the center of the parking lot, an area that until this project was built was reserved exclusively for cars . It provides a safe place to charge electric vehicles: bicycles, motorcycles, and cars. The transition to sustainable mobility must take into account the needs of citizens and affected users.
The courage to change
What, on the surface, might seem like a simple project turned out to be anything but. Not for a lack of ideas or a desire for change , but because we were the first to embrace an initiative that spoke of change. The Gessate municipal council, led by Mayor Lucia Mantegazza, began considering this work in 2019. The bike station project, expanded to encompass all aspects of sustainable mobility, involved several municipal councilors.
"The facility," explained Sandro Cristina Reggiani, Councilor for Urban Planning, Private Construction, Public Works, Public Assets and Heritage, Roads, Environment, and Ecology, " provides around fifty charging spots for electric vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters . Around twenty lockers have also been installed to safely charge vehicle batteries and store users' personal belongings. A 24-hour video surveillance system is also in place ."
Strategic position
The terminus of the M2 metro line, which terminates in Gessate, is a key hub for mobility and commutes. Public transport from the provinces of Monza Brianza and Bergamo stops here , and thousands of commuters pass through every day on their way to work within the Milan metropolitan area.
"The call for proposals," continues Councilor Reggiani, "launched by Fondazione Milano was initially aimed at a charging station for electric cars, bicycles, and motorcycles. Meanwhile, Covid slowed things down, and the project expanded to become the electric hub you see now . The location is advantageous not only for home-work mobility but also for its tourism potential. In fact, the Martesana and Villoresi cycle paths intersect here . The tourism value is therefore high and attractive."
Not a cathedral in the desert
Projects and ideas like the bike station inaugurated yesterday must be a way to create a network capable of connecting and encouraging users to choose a different, sustainable, and intelligent mobility option.
Michele Moretti, Head of the Motorcycle Sector for Confindustria ANCMA, made a good point in this regard. He emphasized that creating a bike station of this caliber is certainly an important first step , but that further steps are needed to engage users and convince them to choose a different form of transportation. The first of these is related to safety , which requires the creation of a framework of facilities and infrastructure that can encourage citizens to abandon their cars.
The transition to sustainable mobility has been underway for some time, although not yet sufficiently long to draw initial conclusions. What is evident is the desire to try and change, and when this comes from the institutions, trust increases . Because certain revolutions are made together, by joining forces.
