Pitch

Can Rome be more sustainable? "Back to the bike" says so. 
We have been monitoring a project on the extension of the Roman cycle network that aims to
connect 12,6 km of cycle paths.
We chose this project back in November 2021 in order to investigate possible ways to reduce
pollution in our city. This was our goal from day one: we started researching and gathering solid
data on which we could base our analysis. We consulted ISTAT archives, we met experts of the
field and we interviewed the local police. 
We know for a fact that the realization of new cycle paths and the requalification of old ones will
have many benefits: the bike will be a valid option for exploring the city, for renewing our contact
with nature and for exercising, other than reducing pollution levels.

During our monitoring we visited the Agency of Territorial Cohesion where we reached a turning
point: we have ascertained that the Department of mobility and transport of Roma Capitale
receives funds from the PON Metro and that every intervention must be authorized also by the
Archeological Superintendencies.
Since it wasn’t possible to organize another meeting with experts we decided to go checking on the
field personally. We met two local police officers who explained that the Roman citizens are not
aware of most of the cycle paths and connections between different areas in the city due to lack of
information. There is also another problem we discovered during our school trip: some zones are
fields of expertise of more than one institution and this creates conflict of administration.

We tried to find out some proposal to show the advantages of taking the bikes for everyday
life. Actually  it turned out from the interviews we held that the citizens are not sufficiently
informed about the presence of many and well-connected cycle paths in the city which, apart
from the freedom of movement in a city as big as Rome, also allows them to appreciate its
beauty. 
Therefore, it’s not only essential to inform people using the internet and social media but also
placing  captivating posters around the city to actract the attention and arouse interest.
On the other hand, we have to make sure that the cycle paths are accessible and in good
condition by organising periodical site inspection and reporting inefficiencies to the authorities.