A cyclist makes her way through unpredictable traffic on Via del Corso in Rome’s historic center. The city inaugurated its bike-sharing program last summer but hasn’t yet provided bike lanes. (Fulvio Paolocci/GlobalPost)

Cruising the cobblestones

Free bicycles enter the crowded Roman roads.

By Angelica Marin - Special to GlobalPost
Published: March 18, 2009 18:43 ET
Updated: March 22, 2009 16:57 ET

ROME — In the busy streets of Rome, most drivers dodge at least one accident a day. A constant rush hour pulses through ancient neighborhoods connected by streets barely wide enough for a single car.

Recently the city has thrown cyclists into the mix with its first bike-sharing program, an idea embraced by many cities in recent years, from Paris to Washington, D.C.

Last June, Rome placed 250 bikes around 19 popular locations, including the Pantheon and the Parliament building, and throughout the historic center — a low-traffic zone of more than 3 square miles and the most pedestrian-friendly area of the city.

“Rome is a very difficult city,” said Antonio Musso, director of the Transportation Engineering Programme at La Sapienza University in Rome. “The city’s structural limits and restricted access make it difficult for private vehicles to move around.”

Bike-sharing is new to Rome, but not to Italy. Dozens of smaller towns have successfully implemented bike-sharing programs thanks to the traditional popularity of cycling in this country. Milan also has a program, but faces similar safety challenges:

Rome faces even more challenges than Milan in promoting cycling on its streets.

“Rome doesn’t have the same affection to biking like other cities have, especially in the north,” Musso said. “After all, the city was built on seven hills so the Romans’ lack of enthusiasm for bikes is expected.”

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Posted by Rome the Second Time on March 22, 2009 05:38 ET

Great story, Angelica... we've never even TRIED biking in Rome - except with a huge scooter. You're right, it's not in the Romans' DNA. Just walking on Corso is a challenge. To get "in" with real Romans and "outside" of some of the craziness, see our just-released guide/armchair travel: Rome the Second Time: 15 Itineraries That Don't Go to the Coliseum (on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk in Euros); www.romethesecondtime.com.
See you in Rome in 10 days! Dianne & Bill

Posted by jcrglobalcaplaw on March 23, 2009 02:07 ET

I am an American married to a woman in Milano (so I commute from Los Angeles) and we love Milano's bike-sharing program, Bikemi. We were among the first to sign up and people actually stop us to ask about it.

It should catch on in Rome with more bikes (and more locations)and once residents realize the versatility: You can take a bike to a destination (say, dinner), check it in, have dinner and if it is raining, take a cab home. I bike to business meetings, even during cold winter days. I use it as often as eight or nine times in a day.

It is for residents, which makes it a better program, in my opinion. Tourists will not know the safer shortcuts, etc.

Great article-and great service, globalpost.

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