Bologna isn't just a 30-mile-an-hour city . Its commitment to a more sustainable, human-scale city also extends to other initiatives related to alternative mobility and two-wheeled transportation. Cycling is seen as a tool that can become a daily routine for citizens, but it must be done from a very young age. In times like these, where taking children out on bikes means spending hours with your heart in your mouth, safe initiatives are needed. This is why Bologna is launching the Bicipolitana Bolognese Bike Park project.
Over the past few years, the city and its surrounding area have sprung up with open-air centers that attract families, as the project is specifically designed for them. Nine spaces dedicated to cycling, three in the city and the others in surrounding areas, promote cycling through cycling education . The City Council immediately spearheaded the project's implementation, as Sports Councilor Roberta Li Calzi explains.
A project in its third year of life
This is a unique project in Italy. For the third consecutive year, the metropolitan city and the Municipality of Bologna are funding this bike park launch project, involving eight associations participating in our call for proposals . The goal is to promote more informed bicycle use and to spread awareness of sustainable mobility and safety regulations.
The proliferation of two-wheeled use in cities also means that failure to follow the rules poses a danger. It's therefore important to begin instilling true Roadle education, attention to and respect for all the rules of Roadle traffic , from an early age, because it allows for the growth of a community that moves in a more aware and correct manner.
A concentration of bike parks within and outside the municipality
The project immediately received a very positive and enthusiastic response from the community: " In 2024, it involved approximately 350 boys and girls. In 2025, the number of users increased to approximately 500, targeting children between 4 and 11 years old. Last year, almost half of the participants learned to ride a bike at the bike parks, and the others improved their cycling skills. Families rated this project highly, so we resumed it for the third consecutive year, with lessons starting again on April 11th."
The bike parks are scattered throughout the area: "The locations are also linked to the associations that participated in the call for proposals, so we have three bike parks in the city, as well as those in Casalecchio, Castel Maggiore, Imola, Vado, Marzabotto, and Sasso Marconi. The project, which began in April, will continue throughout May every Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm: the first hour is dedicated to beginners, the second to those who already have experience and want to improve their riding technique. Naturally, we also focus on proper cycling in the city."
The importance of respecting the rules
Thus, bike parks also become an opportunity to promote cycling among children, overcoming parents' common fears in a completely safe environment, breaking away from the mainstream perception that bicycles are dangerous on the roads: "Awareness of proper bicycle use is clearly beneficial both for those who use them, learning to ride more easily, but also for others, through more correct use, more respectful of the rules. Therefore, it creates no danger for oneself or others."
Alongside this, what is being done to raise awareness among drivers? "Road education is needed for all users in an urban space where various modes of transportation increasingly coexist and all have equal dignity. It's clear that if everyone does their part in respecting the rules, there will also be greater respect for the urban space and for others in general , especially since each of us finds ourselves moving around very often in different ways during the same day. Maybe we ride a scooter, we use a bike, we walk, we drive in the same day.
A help for the community
"So if respect for the rules is mutual, there is greater safety on the streets, there is also greater serenity in the use of public spaces, and this helps the community feel good, making it less nervous . This comes through respect for the rules, which must clearly be mutual and must apply to everyone."
As is well known, after a period of suspension due to the TAR ruling, Bologna has reinstated the 30 km/h speed limit for 258 kilometers within the city. Regardless of whether one favors or dislikes the decision, there's no doubt that this decision has had an impact on the population, who have almost unconsciously acquired the feeling of traveling more calmly within the city.
Bologna insists on sustainable mobility
"Clearly, this was a widespread action across Bologna," Councilor Li Calzi continues, "but obviously, the effect doesn't always reach all road users. Unfortunately, there are still those who don't respect the rules, but this applies to all road traffic laws. However, the data tells us that the positive effect has been a general slowdown in speed and also a reduction in road accidents, which are fewer fatalities and fewer serious injuries , and this clearly leads to greater well-being. If a political decision is useful even just to eliminate one death from the road, it certainly means it's going in the right direction..."
Bike parks host weekend lessons, but what happens on other days? "You can always ride where there are trails and internal roads, with safety measures. Of course, on the Saturdays where bike parks operate, there are sports clubs with competent staff who teach the rules for certain exercises, tests, and games . So, clearly, boys and girls are more involved and socialize. Then, perhaps, they can practice and improve their riding skills on other days, always away from traffic."
