Milan protestors are sick and tired of cyclists dying so they shut down city

Under a unified message of “No more deaths on our streets,” various city associations organized the demonstration. The protest aimed to draw attention to the recurring road accidents affecting cyclists and pedestrians, while advocating for a shift in mobility policies.

Demonstrators gathered at four pedestrian crossings along Milan’s outer ring road: between the bastions of Porta Nuova and via Solferino, between viale Bianca Maria and via Mascagni, between viale di Porta Vercellina and via Biffi, and between viale Beatrice d’Este and via Melegnano. At these four designated points, protesters repeatedly marched across the pedestrian crossings, preventing cars from passing. This action served as a plea for increased road safety measures and a call upon the municipality to prioritize a city that caters to pedestrians and cyclists, rather than just cars.

“Every morning, I wake up to hear about cyclists losing their lives or getting injured in my city,” says Pinar Pinzuti, a Milan resident, and one of the co-founders of the Fancy Women Bike Ride. “Yet, I continue to choose the most convenient means of transportation for work — my bicycle. My bike to work is like a video game, jumping obstacles and trying hard to beat the stage. But, I’m not Super Mario; I only have one life.”By 2035, Milan aims to have one of Europe’s most extensive networks of protected bicycle lanes. This project, known as the Cambio Biciplan (the “Change Bike Plan”), was approved by the Metropolitan City of Milan in November 2021 and is set to deliver its first major cycle highways this summer. The plan will create 750 kilometers (466 miles) of dedicated lanes throughout Italy’s most populous metropolitan area, surpassing even Paris’s ambitious 680-kilometer bike infrastructure project.

The goal is to promote cycling as the primary and most convenient mode of transportation within the Metropolitan City of Milan, which includes the city, its suburbs, and nearby rural areas. This initiative addresses significant issues, including severe pollution in the region caused by dense population, extensive industrial activity, and a heavy reliance on cars.

Milan protest (photo: Instagram: @Saichepuoi)

It all sounds like a very grand vision, the problem, according to some including Pinzuti, is that the car still rules Milan streets and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. There is no enforcement or patrolling of bike lanes that exist now, let alone in the future.

“The main problem is that the Municipality of Milan and its mayor are afraid to take action to limit the dominance of cars in the city: parking a car on a bike lane or a sidewalk in Milan is cheaper than leaving it in a paid parking lot because the chances of being fined are practically non-existent. There is a lack of police enforcement in Milan. That’s why it’s common to encounter people driving while holding their cellphones and not respecting speed limits,” says Paolo Pinzuti, a cycling activist and Milan resident. “After the pandemic, Milan had initiated an extensive program of building bike lanes, but after a year, everything came to a halt, and active mobility is no longer a priority.”

From 2012 to 2022 in Milan, road violence has resulted in the death of 470 people (47 per year, 4 per month) and the injury of 120,000 people (source: ISTAT- Istituto nazionale di statistica), and it continues to grow in 2023.

Pinar shares some of the casualties who tried to ride their bicycles on the streets of Milan: “Francesca, 28 years old, there was no escape, while she was stopped at a traffic light on her bike, she was “hooked” by a truck and dragged for several meters. Silvia, 20-year-old was dragged by a cement mixer on the Bastioni di Porta Nuova. 38-year-old mother Veronica was hit at the intersection of Loreto and Viale Brianza. 39-year-old Cristina Scozia, also a mother of a 6-year-old, fell victim to an accident when she was struck by a cement mixer on Via Francesco Sforza. 55-year-old Li Tianjiao lost his life, killed by a heavy vehicle on Via Comasina while biking to work. Alfina, a 60-year-old cyclist, who was also struck by a cement mixer in Piazza Francesco Durante. She left behind a 14-year-old son.”

It’s a story that repeats itself in cities around the world. Change is coming, but people are tired of waiting, tired of the risk they take by just wanting to ride a bicycle to work. So, they protest. It has worked in other locations such as Amsterdam when, en masse, people stood up and got the change they deserved. Now, it is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities on the planet.

Why not Milan? Why not right now?

“The citizens of Milan have decided to protest against the growing insecurity on the streets of Milan: the number of accidents resulting in deaths in the city has doubled in the past year, leading to a 20% reduction in the number of cyclists,” says Paulo. “Blocking the city in four points was an extreme choice that caught the attention of the press, but we really don’t know what else to do to demand road safety. This was a dress rehearsal: we will do it every time a pedestrian or a cyclist loses their life in Milan.”

Why not your city?