In Italy, the passion for the bicycle continues to grow. The drive towards active mobility – with all the benefits it brings for individuals and the environment – is certainly linked not only to the pandemic, which after lockdown oriented us towards life in the open air, but also to a heightened awareness of the air pollution problem. And so, with the help of the mobility bonus, 2020 was by far the record year, with over 2 million bikes sold. According to estimates from Confindustria Ancma (the cycle, motorcycle and accessories association), 2021 came close to the same figures, despite the absence of incentives. Indeed, 1,975,000 bicycles were sold, with electrically assisted models recording a five per cent increase, while traditional bikes saw a slight dip (1,680,000 units, down three per cent).

The bicycle sector boom

Despite the global supply difficulties and delivery delays that have been affecting the entire bicycle supply chain in recent years, the bicycle sector is also growing in terms of production – where the e-bike segment again stands out with a plus 25 per cent – as well as imports and exports.

"A very positive result," commented Paolo Magri, president of Ancma, "achieved in the absence of purchase incentives, which had contributed to the considerable dynamism in post-lockdown demand in 2020." The bicycle is thus consolidating its role as a tool for mobility and leisure – "an element that," according to Magri, "needs to be promoted from a cultural standpoint and for which we continue to believe a shift is necessary: away from the logic of purchase incentives and towards a shared vision of incentives for use, made up, for example, of greater investment in cycle paths, in promoting use, in user safety, and in promoting Italy internationally as a cycling tourism destination."

Incentives for cargo bikes

Dating back to 28 April are the new provisions introduced by the Ministry of Ecological Transition for the recognition of a tax credit for "the purchase of electrically assisted cargo bikes for the purpose of optimising logistics processes in urban areas." The benefit, strongly called for by Confindustria Ancma, covers expenses incurred in 2021 at a rate of 30 per cent, up to a maximum amount of €2,000. This framework, however, does not fully satisfy the association of manufacturers and distributors of the vehicles in question, who emphasise that "cargo bikes represent an opportunity in last-mile logistics, a sustainability-oriented element of the supply chain that boomed alongside the growth of e-commerce and that, if properly incentivised, can create concrete opportunities for economic development and help decongest cities."

The impact of the pandemic on active mobility

The impact that the pandemic has had on sustainable mobility was examined in the "Covid Lanes" dossier by Legambiente, which certified that in the main urban areas of our country in 2020, almost 200 kilometres of "pop-up" cycle lanes were created – that is, lanes reserved for bikes built quickly and at low cost. Milan is the Italian city with the most kilometres built, 35 in all, followed by Genoa with 30. A step forward that needs to be reinforced, as also required by the Pums, Piani Urbani di Mobilità Sostenibile (Urban Sustainable Mobility Plans), which provide for 2,626 km of new cycle paths, to be added to the 2,341 km already in existence across 22 Italian cities.

From the standstill of lockdown, we thus quickly moved to a bicycle boom. The growth in sales goes hand in hand with an increase in cycling trips and with greater attention to sustainable mobility on the part of citizens. The advantages of cycling mobility are clear: travel costs are reduced, people's physical and mental wellbeing improves, and in cities pollution and traffic are reduced.

The two-wheeled sector is literally living through a golden age. Now it is up to institutions to make a difference – particularly in cities, by developing cycling mobility also thanks to the funds allocated through the Pnrr. In this way, the many bicycles sold (and those that will be sold in the future) will be able to take to the streets and ride, at last, in safety.