MUNICIPALITY OF PADUA Mobility and Traffic Department Bikes' Mobility

1. MUNICIPALITY OF PADUAMobility and Traffic DepartmentBikes' Mobility

2. Only four short sentences about the hystory of bikes' mobility in Padua. The focal point of the mobility management, at pianification level, is the Urban Mobility Plan approved on 2008. It puts into evidence what was made of good, on bikes' mobility, and says what still remains to do. Let's give a look at the good old things: car traffic was subdued and transferred away from the inner city to the external highway. So in the center bikes have more space and security. Besides, the Municipality promoted an integrated use of various mobility modes, helping the bike use and removing any possible conflict between cars and bikes.

3. As everybody knows, or at least suspects, the bike use must play a great role on sustainable mobility

4. To obtain that, we must contemporarily do two other important things: efficaciously governing the car traffic all over the municipal territory and rationally developing the bike network Of course, such a mobility policy can be useful implemented if a strong potential demand already exists. And in our city it's really so: that's why a remarkable amount of funds is yearly assigned to the bikes network construction

5. Bike’s masterplan (2010). Together with the traditional ones, it contains also two new technical concepts: the “transversal (bikes’) permeability” and the “relation between pedestrians' and cars’ spaces”

6. Bikes’ Road map on municipal territory. Today bikes’ lanes run for a 158 km length; on 2015 a 250 km long network is expected

7. The more recent history on the development of bike lanes’ network. Increase from 2005 till today

8. Examples of different solutions adopted for the bikes lanes’ construction in Padua, on relation with the road functional classification Strade di scorrimento Strade di interquartiere

9. Strade di quartiere Strade di quartiere e interquartiere

10. Strade interzonali Strade locali

11. For a best protection of the bikers’ crossings, several of them have been superelevated, at the same level of bike lanes themselves, so removing the irritating “hill and valley” effect

12. Where possible, namely where there are adequate road dimensions, bike lanes run on reserved seat

13. Every road has its own structural and environmental characterization: so bike lanes must change their appearence, not of course their substance

14. Bikers’ crossings. On consequence of a high bike lanes’ diffusion,hundreds of them offer their aid in many road crossings

15. Since bikers have a green philosophy of life, bike lanes consequently reveal the same spirit, especially on spring time and away from the inner city, where space opens toward the countryside

16. To complete the bike lanes’ network, we had to cross the two main rivers flowing through the town. Such crossings were all recently built, by modern light structural solutions

17. Bridges are different one from another, though each one mantains the common quality of being clear, light and inviting

18. Not only where strictly necessary (over the rivers) but also over the busiest main streets such bridges were built, so avoiding dangerous conflicts between cars and bikes

19. The city of Padua spreads over a strongly urbanized territory, so bike lanes may express their free spirit mainly along the rivers flowing inside the town

20. On consequence of this last characteristic, the embankment-long lanes are not only for pure transferring but also for sport or entertainment

21. Again about the enbankment-long lanes. Being the main rivers of Padua also the main rivers of the entire Venetian region, our bike lanes also belong, as a little but important central part of them, to long touristic bike itineraries

22. Summarizing: the best bike lines of Padua, which are those running on the river embankments, offers a service either for “going to work” people or for “having an entertainment” citizens or, last but not least, for the regional bike tourists passing through Padua on their going from mountains to the sea

23. It is always rather difficult to monitor, in a careful and scientific way, the bikers’ opinions on the various mobility aspects. However, a good work was made in Padua some years ago: the results are here reported

25. Bicycle Office The mobility management about the bikes’ world is based not only on the municipal office’s activity, for it also takes advantage from the life of spontaneous associations such as the “Bike’s friends Association”

26. YES WE BIKE!Till now the structural and the functional aspects regarding the bike mobility in Padua. But there are also other activities wich, as demonstrated, are obtaining an encouraging success

27. For example: the events yearlyorganized, on last 4-5 years, to develop the bike’s culture and knowledge among all citizens’ categories. Not every event happens in a local framework, since the main of them is of national importance

28. Bike sharing service. We speak of it at theend of this focusing work simply because its implementation is on progress. The end of it being programmed inside next four months. It is already possibile, however, to see the final aspect of the BS future stations

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30. Mario and Giulio were cycling on the bicycle and, after a While, Mario stopped and deflated the back wheel. "Why did you do that? "asked him Giulio "Because the bicycle was too high …". Giulio then took his handle and turned it on the Contrary. "What are you doing?" asked him Mario "I don't want to stay with you anymore, I prefer to go back!" --------------------------------------------- The bicycle is a curious vehicle: Its passenger is its engine.