27 July 2016 – The new national tourist cycle routes have been introduced by the signing today of the three memoranda of understanding on the planning and implementation of the first national tourist cycle routes, as provided for by the 2016 Stability Law, between the Minister of Infrastructures and Transport, Graziano Delrio, the Minister of Cultural and Heritage Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini and the representatives of the Regions concerned.
The Protocols which have been agreed in the last months with eight Regions, give start to an administrative process to be carried out in the next months by Ministries and Regions for the planning and implementation of the projects. The two Ministers have signed with the President of the Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni, the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, the Councillor of the Emilia Romagna Region, Sergio Venturi, the Vice President of the Campania Region, Fulvio Bonavitacola, the Councillor of the Piedmont Region, Francesco Balocco, the Councillor of the Tuscany Region, Vincenzo Ceccarelli, the Councillor of the Basilicata Region Nicola Benedetto and the Vice President of the Apulia Region Antonio Nunziante.
“For the first time, the tourist cycle routes are recognized as infrastructural projects in the national ministerial planning – Minister Graziano Delrio stated – as part of policies for sustainable and interconnected mobility. They are included in a broader ministerial cycling approach aiming at developing a national cycling network starting from the Eurovelo ridges, on which are included regional networks, intermodality and cycle stations, as well as urban and safety cycling actions”.
“It was a very important day, - Minister Dario Franceschini stated - the presentation of the national tourist cycle routes is a concrete step made by the Government towards the implementation of the 2016 Stability Law. In the next years Italy will have to manage the increase in tourism flows and the cycle routes represent a fundamental tool for promoting a widespread model of sustainable development which we intend to create in our Country”.
The three Memoranda of Understanding concern the planning and implementation of the following projects:
“Venice-Turin cycle route” from Venice to Turin, signed between the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and the Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany Regions;
“Sole” cycle route” from Verona to Florence, signed between the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany Regions;
“Acquedotto Pugliese” cycle route” from Caposele (AV) to Santa Maria di Leuca (LE), signed between the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritageand Activities and Tourism with Campania, Basilicata and Apulia Regions.
The Stability Law provides for 91 million euros for the period 2016-2018
The National System for tourist cycle routes - with priority given to the three protocols signed today, along with a fourth one regarding the Great Ring Cycle Route, on which memorandum of Understanding the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism are jointly working with the Rome City Council – has been included in the 2016 Stability Law, Article 1, paragraph 640. An amount of 91 million euros was allocated to the sector, in particular: 17 million euros for 2016, 37 million euros for 2017 and 37 million euros for 2018. The Regions as well as the other Local Authorities will co-finance these projects by already available resources which will make it possible to reach the goal in a shorter time.
The selection of the first cycling projects to be implemented, was carried out in accordance with two criteria: from one hand, taking into account the indications issued by Eurovelo Project on European cycling network, and from the other hand, taking into account the “Extraordinary Plan for Tourism Mobility which is being drawn up by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and the Regions, also considering cycling routes already defined by feasibility studies, drawn up by Associations, Entities and privates, proposing the re-use and connection of the already existing routes in order to reach a unique vision applying common quality standards.
The routes of the three national tourist cycle paths
The Venice-Turin cycle route is inspired by the Venice-Turin Project “Cycling from Venice to Turin along the Po River” drawn up by the Department of Architecture and Planning of the Polytechnic University of Milan; it consists of a cycle path of 680 Kilometers following the course of the Po River, in part along its banks, in part along the already existing cycle routes and in part along routes to be still equipped, aiming at connecting Venice to Turin crossing 21 Municipalities, rich in artistic and architectural heritage, reaching Milan, right beside its canals (Navigli). It would be the longest tourism cycle route in Italy and in the Southern Europe, connecting the Eurovelo 8 project, to both the Eurovelo 5 and 6 projects. It will cross 4 regions, 12 provinces, more than 120 municipalities and 242 cultural sites and landscapes, crossing along its route a variety of artistic, monumental, natural and environmental beauties, historical, cultural and manufacturing places along the course of the Po River.
The Sole cycle route, for a length of approximately 300 Kilometres, is included in the wider “Ciclopista del Sole” project, created by the Fiab to cover 3000 Kilometres as integral part of the Eurovelo 7 Project. The first section, from Brenner Pass to Verona and Lake Garda has already been completed, in spite of the lack of a national coordination . The next development stage provides for the extension from Verona to Florence, crossing 4 Regions, with the further purpose to reach the city of Rome. The section includes many already existing cycle routes.
The “Acquedotto Pugliese” cycling project, is the result of the wish of the Apulia Region, Department for Infrastructure and Mobility, to make accessible to the public and practicable in bicycle as greenway, the service road in which the access and transit to unauthorized people is usually forbidden, going along the main canal of the Apulian Aqueduct. It consists of a section of approximately 500 Kilometres crossing three Regions. The section route has already been defined in the International Cooperation Project headed by the Apulia Region and the aqueduct’s cycle route in agreement with the Fiab, owner of the trade mark Bicitalia, and it has become the Apulian variation to the layout of no. 11 cycle route (Ciclovia degli Appennini) of Bicitalia cycling network.
The contents of the Memoranda of Understanding and the time needed for implementation
The Memoranda of Understanding agreed between the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and the Regions, established that these communication routes are exclusively reserved for non-motorized transport, developed in an integrated way, with the aim of safeguarding both environment and quality lives in the surrounding territories. The cycle routes must meet satisfactory standards with regard to width and inclination in order to ensure user-friendly routes suitable for all types of users.
The Associations such as Fiab, Bicitalia, Legambiente might be important partners in the promotional activities as well as cycle routes’ monitoring.
The acts signed represent a road map in which all the actions undertaken by the Bodies involved, the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and Regions, are described, among which it is worth mentioning that:
in 2016 there was the signature of the Agreement Protocols and the allocation of funds for projects’ planning;
in 2017 the planning of the cycle routes, the planning agreements with the local Authorities concerned by the routes, the first tenders for the realization of the cycle routes and the opening of the new construction sites;
in 2018 it is foreseen the closing of the first construction sites and the other tenders for the realization of the cycle paths with the opening and closing of the last construction sites.
The potential value of the tourism cycling in Italy
The national tourist cycling network beside meeting sustainable mobility policy as well as promoting in general cycling which in Italy is only 3.8 percent of the general average, intends to develop the tourist cycling in Italy. According to 2012 data, in Europe the tourist cycling has envisaged more than 2 million trips and 20 million overnight stays for a total amount of 44 billion euros. It is mainly developed in the north of Europe and the highest number of the cycling tourists are mainly of German nationality. In France, the main destination for cycling tourists, the cycling tourism generated revenues of more than 2 billion euros in 2012. Furthermore, France is the most important tourist destination for tour operators dealing with cycling tourism. In Germany, in the same year, the tourism cycling generated revenues of 9 million euros. The potential value of tourism cycling in Italy has been estimated of about 3.2 million euros every year.