Author: Thomas Haddock, NetZeroCities Head of Operations, Climate-KIC

The bearings of our rear sprockets growl rhythmically as we ride across the Ligurian coast. The sunlight strikes the blue, azure ocean and reflects around us. We are riding on a new segregated cycling and walking path through the centre of the city of Imperia. We feel safe enough to freewheel, chat and take in our surroundings. Families are carelessly walking through the space and the chirps, barks and squeaks of children playing are clearly audible in this traffic free space.

Enrique Peñalosa, the former Mayor of Bogotá, once eloquently described children as an “indicator species” for cities. Just as fish in a river signal its health, children playing in public spaces reflect a city’s vitality. This idea resonated with me from the moment I heard it. During my years working on cycling and walking infrastructure in Scotland, I was often surprised by how fiercely people compete over street space. Yet, it always felt to me that, at heart, we all seek the same outcome – a vibrant, safe, and accessible urban environment where children can play freely – though we often differ on the path to achieve it.

Cycling has been a huge part of my life both professionally and personally. It is one of the reasons I have been particularly keen to support the partnership between NetZeroCities and CIVITAS.

The CIVITAS Initiative works to make sustainable and smart urban mobility a reality for all in Europe and beyond. So, when I discovered that the CIVITAS forum was in Parma this year and that we would be aiming to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between our two initiatives in person, a spoked seed was planted.

This seed quickly grew into the plans for a 330km cycle between my home in Sanremo and Parma! The perfect excuse for a late summer cycle tour and the perfect excuse to shout about the shared values of NetZeroCities and CIVITAS in supporting sustainable urban mobility. My route would take me through the city of Genova, one of the Twin Cities working with the Mission Cities supported through NetZeroCities.

I approach La Superba (Genova), where the emanating rhythm of multi-lane traffic drags me recklessly back into the moment. No longer can I stare at the horizon and daydream; it is time to focus. I am now part of the traffic, and my reactions must be sharp to the environment.

The dynamism was tangible as I entered the historic port city of Genova and I was quickly confronted with a classic cyclist/car conflict. ‘Sulla pista ciclabile’ (on the cycle path), an antagonised local exclaimed, rightly frustrated that I was on the narrow road and not on the segregated adjacent cycle path. However, the cycle path in questions ironically had been reclaimed by parked cars making it impassable.

The tribal nature of mobility boils over in competitive spaces, something I am used to, but not something which will deliver the modal shift we need to reduce emissions, improve air quality, improve health and strengthen our urban communities.

Enablers such as cycle lanes are valuable when they prioritise and protect cyclist, but poor infrastructure serves no one and compounds the survival instincts of urban transport. We must move from a vicious circle to a virtuous one.

My journey out of Genova was a wholly different story. There is a wide boulevard running parallel to ‘Corso Italia’ leading to the beautiful Ligurian village of Boccadasse, the inspiration for the film Luca I was told. Cyclists, Joggers, wandering pedestrians. A murmuration of humans weaving and moving in harmony. This is clearly a space for people first and machines second. If we continue to design our cities to prioritise private cars we may reduce emissions through electrification, but we will only compound the deterioration of our urban space for people. Our society needs cars, lorries and utilitarian vehicles but we need them in the right places for the right people.

My breath falls into a cadence, matching the pace of my bicycle. Each rotation takes me higher; each extension of the leg comes at a cost. I am now in the hills behind Genova, no longer transversing the nice flat Ligurian coast. Gravity is not my friend, well until I reach the top at least. Autumn has arrived here in a way it has not on the coast, there is an umami smell in the air, that irresistible smell of the woods fresh from rain.

To get from Liguria to Emilia Romagna I had to cross the ‘Appennino settentrionale’. Rising to 956m I crossed the Passo del Bocco. It was hard and beautiful. Of course, this journey is a gimmick, it is clearly not feasible for people to regularly cross the Apennines to get to work. However, with the rise of electric bikes, the range of our active mobility commuter belts is significantly extended and requires cities and regions to explore links with rural and peri-urban communities.

Research presented by Ian Philips at the University of Leeds, concluded that in England the capability to reduce car CO2 emissions using e-bikes is 24.4 million tonnes per annum not something to be taken lightly as we transition to climate neutrality. However, as I came and went from the many beautiful Italian towns I visited, I was surprised just how quickly the infrastructure can drop off and become intermittent.

A metallic thud resonates! I hit the barrier. I fall. My stubborn bicycle carries on independently for a few meters before also falling. I hear nothing but my breath and the throbbing rhythmic pulse in my temple. No one is around, blood drips on the tarmac, I pick up my bike, push it off the bridge to a lay by. I try to breathe slowly and assess the situation.

This was not supposed to be part of my adventure cycling narrative, my plan was to shamelessly sing the praises of the two wheeled eco-friendly cult of the bicycle. Yet there I was, bleeding on the side of the road just 30km outside of Parma. A lorry passed closely as I was adjusting my raincoat and I wobbled into the barrier. I was tired and not fully focused. Many contributing factors to a very light crash overall. 30km is within the range of an electric bike, particularly in the summer months, but how many people would want to expose themselves to this when they can sit in the comfort of their car?

As an audacious seasoned cyclist, I was a little shaken but not deterred. To stop the bleeding, I smothered on some Vaseline (a staple for any cycle tour) and continued on my way to Parma. The last push!

The last 20km or so into Parma was reassuring after the accident, it was either segregated or on quiet roads taking me along old Roman routes through beautiful farmland. Upon arriving in Parma, you are immediately struck by the city’s heritage and its evident, robust and healthy cycling culture. Parma is a city close to my heart as it is home to one of my favourite rugby clubs, Zebre. A sucker for an underdog, I have seen first-hand the multicoloured Italian flare of Zebre at the Lanfranchi Stadium on multiple occasions. Parma is an UNESCO Creative City for gastronomy, something Zebre proudly present on their kit, and after my cycle tour I was ready to overindulge on fine Italian cuisine.

Parma is also one of the 9 Italian cities participating the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. As part of their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) Parma, aim to decrease car use to 50% of modal share, increasing public transport use to 24% and active mobility to a 26%. In my opinion a flat, smallish city like Parma has huge potential to push the modal share of active mobility far beyond 26%. Especially with the proposals outlined in their SUMP to improve the cycle network an implement traffic calming measure.

Perhaps most importantly, Parma already has one of the key elements needed for a significant modal shift to active mobility, a well embedded cycling culture, something which is often an envious advantage of historic university towns.

The unofficial litmus test for a healthy cycling culture is the types of bikes people ride and the clothes they wear. It was a rainy Tuesday when I arrived, on a similar day in London you will see cyclist in full Lycra, helmets and reflective bands anywhere there is purchase. They are ready to do battle in the intense commuter traffic (although we must acknowledge that London has installed some great infrastructure over the last decade). In Parma it was a different scene. Despite the rain, I saw people riding modest, everyday bicycles, dressed in normal clothes, cruising along the many segregated cycle lanes. I even spotted one person cycling nonchalantly with an umbrella in one hand and a phone in the other. While I don’t condone the phone use, it spoke to the relaxed and confident way people navigate this city on two wheels.

The value of cycling to society should not be underestimated and with huge advances in electric and adaptive bikes over recent years, cycling can really be for almost everyone. I hope the partnership between NetZeroCities and CIVITAS will provide a strong platform to support the Mission Cities to design urban spaces that prioritise people and integrate innovative mobility solutions something which is crucial for a just transition. When executed thoughtfully, these efforts will lead to happier, healthier, and more resilient communities, where children playing in the streets is the norm and not the exception.

Now to relax and recover and plan the next cycle tour…the 2025 Cities Mission Conference is in Vilnius, if anyone want to cycle there with me!

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The MoU, signed at the forum on 1st October, illustrates the partnership between the two initiatives, detailing how they will collaborate to bolster support for cities in creating sustainable mobility options. These efforts, through shared learnings, the exchange of best practices, regular meetings between experts for policy work, and the monitoring of progress towards jointly agreed objectives, will greatly support cities’ work as they transition to climate neutrality.