HEADLINE PARTNER
By the Decree n° 18/2016 the Municipality of Rovereto set the speed limit of 30 km/h on all urban roads except in some streets (the main corridors) where the limit of 50 km/h remains. The Municipality has defined as "residential areas" all the roads subjected to 30 km/h speed limit, not affected by the passage of public transport.
The model "50/30" is very used at European level to define, through a classification of the roads, a different hierarchy between the different means of transport in the use of the road spaces. The limit of 30 km/h reduces accidents, improves the perception of safety of pedestrians and cyclists, improves the liveability perceived by residents.
Law January 11, 2018, No. 2 "provisions for the development of mobility on bicycles and the implementation of the national cycling Network of walkability" (so-called "framework Law on cycling mobility") supports this concept.
The Law represents a new important reference that, for the first time in Italy, establishes the importance of a policy of promotion of the bicycle as an ideal means of transport not only for tourist and recreational activities but also for systematic movements in the cities.
Among the various significant cues introduced by the law, a particular emphasis is put in the definition of "Ciclovia" as a "safe and comfortable" path for bicycles. Among the types of paths that can be called "cycloways" the law introduces "Roads 30" and "residential areas".
The principle of traffic moderation can often be quickly implemented through low-cost interventions. In some cases it is necessary to associate the implementation with more complex interventions involving a more substantial overall requalification of the road. In both cases it is advisable to associate to the measures to impose the speed limit of 30 km/h also "physical" interventions on the roadway able to guarantee that the limit is respected.
In many of the urban contexts, typically the neighborhoods but also the historical centres, this creates the conditions for which the realization of cycle paths dedicated ("separated" or "segregated") not only does not serve, but is even discouraged, because it limits the permeability of the road compared to pedestrian and cycle movements. On the contrary, "integration" of different means of transport, if well supported by the interventions on the road, represents a winning policy, able, more generally, to improve quality and safety.
This paradigm shift needs to be well communicated to the citizens, who must empower themselves and educate themselves to mutual respect. It is not a question of staging a war between motorists, pedestrians and cyclists (all people are depending on the means they choose) but rather to implement policies and initiatives to educate the responsibility and mutual respect between road users.
The participants will discuss the different types of "material" interventions on the road and "intangible" marketing interventions of sustainable mobility that can find effective implementation in Rovereto and in general in the cities.
The success of these policies is often dictated also by the ability to engage and directly empower citizenship on the subject. These processes can exploit the innovative potential of urban regeneration initiatives, the development of Community neighbourhood relations, and pilot interventions.
