A Cyclist Hit the Mayor of an Italian City — Now Cycling Is Banned in the Historic Centre

The mayor of Como, Italy, Alessandro Rapinese, has banned cycling on roughly thirty streets in the city's historic centre — cyclists will now have to dismount and walk their bikes through these areas. The news was reported by The Guardian.

The decision followed a June incident in which the mayor was struck by an e-bike rider near the town hall; the culprit was never identified. Rapinese doesn't deny that the incident affected him personally, but he rejects claims from opponents that the ban is an act of personal revenge.

"One of these beasts hit me"

"I'm being accused of introducing this measure because I was hit by an e-bike. That's true. People act based on their own experience, and I know what it feels like to be hit by one of these beasts," the mayor said.

He explained that the ban covers all bicycles, not just electric ones, since Italian traffic laws don't actually distinguish between conventional and electric bikes. E-scooters were already banned from Como's centre back in 2022.

Critics plan a protest ride

Opponents of the ban argue that the restriction affects some of the widest streets in the city centre and deprives residents of a cheap, eco-friendly way to get around. Activists have already launched a petition to overturn the ban, and local cyclists are planning a protest ride through the banned streets in mid-September.

The mayor, however, stands by his decision. "In other cities, a child ends up in the hospital first, and only then do politicians start acting. Here, I didn't even end up in the hospital. I got hit by a bike, gathered the facts — and that's how this measure came about," Rapinese concluded.

Read also: 9 best cycling routes around Prague: from the Vltava embankments to Karlštejn Castle

Source: novinky.cz