Bergamo 2.

035

[ Cycling mobility in Bergamo ]

Gabriele Torri University of Bergamo g.torri1@studenti.unibg.it

[ Cycling in Bergamo ]

University parking lot. There are much more scooters than bicycles. Bycicle is not used a lot as a mean of transportation in Bergamo. A research performed by A.Ri.Bi, a non profit organization aimed at promoting the usage of bicyle shows that cars outnumber bikes more than 10 to 1.

[ The Cycle route Network ]

Map of the cycle-routes in the city center provided by the local administration. The network is very fragmented and the Most of the efforts made in the last years have been focused on leisure time cycle routes outside the city

[ Bike Sharing Service La BiGi - 1 ]

La BiGi is a bike sharing service handled by ATB, the public transport society that is active since 2009, is used by 2900 people and counts 15 stations in the city center.

[ Bike Sharing Service La BiGi - 2 ]

The system is very unexpensive and is used by many people. One of the problem is that it is common to find empty stations and overcrowded ones.

[ Types of Cyclists - Urban Rider ]

Different cyclists have different requirements. It is therefore useful to trace at least two profiles: the first one describes people who move within the city center integrating cycling with other form of transportation. For these users bike sharing is effective.

[ Types of Cyclists - Long Distances Rider ]

People who use bicycle for covering routes of 3 - 10 kilometers can't benefit from bike sharing. For these distances bicycle is very fast and efficient, however there are some issues that complicate the life of these cyclists.

[ Pending issues - Lack of Tracks and Stands ]

Bike stand at the train station The limited nomber of safe and comfortable routes and lack of places where to bind the bicycles safely limits the urban usage of the bike.

[ Pending issues - Weather ]

The usage of bicycle is strictly connected to the weather conditions. This uncertainty reduces a lot the appeal of this mean of transportation.

[ Pending issues - Slopes ]

The northern part of the city, including the upper town, is on hillside. Despite of this the usage of electric bikes is very limited and is characterized by a social stigma.

[ Final Question ]

Is it possible to find a smart solution capable of facilitate the usage of bicycle as a mean of transportation for medium-range routes, resolving the several problems that are present today?

Smarter Cities 2012 Gabriele Torri | University of Bergamo | g.torri1@studenti.unibg.it