“Bike to Work Day”: over 300 people cycle through the historic center in support of health and sustainability in the region
Over 300 people, including employees, teachers, researchers, and students from Pisa's universities and research centers, cycled together through the streets of the historic center on Bike to Work Day. Starting from their homes, they met in the morning in Piazza dei Cavalieri and from there, passing through the Lungarni, they reached Piazza XX Settembre, home of the Municipality of Pisa, which sponsored the event, where they were welcomed by local authorities and representatives of the five participating institutions: Scuola Normale, University of Pisa, Scuola Sant'Anna, CNR, and INFN.
Bike to Work Day, promoted for twelve years at national level by FIAB (Italian Environment and Bicycle Federation) as part of European Mobility Week, aims to recognize the commitment of those who choose bicycles as a means of transport to get to work and to encourage more and more people to give up using private cars when not essential. It is part of the measures taken by the Mobility Managers support group of various institutions to promote the Home-Work Travel Plan and achieve its objectives.
The success of the event testifies to the joint commitment of Pisa's academic and research institutions to promoting sustainable mobility. Several studies show that cycling for about 20-30 minutes a day has positive effects on health: it is good for the heart, helps those suffering from insomnia, improves mood, and promotes concentration, to name but a few. Cycling is ideal for getting around town: for distances of up to about 5-7km, travel times are competitive with those of cars, bicycles require a tenth of the parking space of a car, and they can also travel within restricted traffic zones (ZTL), where most of the city's universities and research institutions are located. Cycling to work is a healthy habit that brings enormous benefits to those who practice it and to the local area. With a catchment area of almost 60,000 people, according to the home-work travel plans of those involved, Pisa's universities and research institutions generate a considerable amount of traffic every day, with a significant impact on urban traffic. If even 10% of the daily journeys currently made by car by this group were replaced by bicycle journeys, there would be fewer vehicles on the road, fewer accidents, and fewer polluting emissions, making Pisa more sustainable, safer, and more liveable.
