Means of transportation such as bicycles and e-scooters are a great sustainable alternative to motorized vehicles: with their zero direct CO2 emissions, they guarantee a cleaner and more salubrious air, as well as a more livable city thanks to the decongestion of the roads.
Perfect for commuting short distances, riding a bicycle assures reaching one’s destination briefly and without CO2 emissions, besides being a great physical activity; these are all actions that contribute to reaching the UN 2023 Agenda SDGs (first and foremost the SDGs 11, 13 and 3, as published in the European Cyclists Federation’s “The benefits of cycling”).
Discouraging the use of motorized vehicles isn’t enough, in order to mutate people’s habits is essential to change their perspective and convey the vision of the bicycle as a real means of transportation, and not just as a sports or recreational activity. The main initiatives of Politecnico di Milano to promote cycling mobility are listed below.
Infrastructures
Politecnico di Milano provides a great number of parking spots reserved to bicycles within its campus, including bike racks and stands, some of which are covered. Recently, bike stations have also been installed at the Leonardo and Bovisa-Durando campuses; others will be installed in the future (e.g., in Bovisa La Masa). Additionally, Politecnico di Milano provides its employees with a fleet of approximately 100 bikes and 4 electric scooters for work-related transportation.
(Map of bike parking spaces within the campuses currently under update).
Services
The Politecnico offers a wide range of services aimed at promoting cycling mobility, including:
BikeMi (2021 – present)
Agreement between the Politecnico and the municipal bike-sharing service with fixed stations, allowing Polimi users to purchase an annual subscription for €29 instead of €36.
Cingomma Project (2019 – present)
A circular economy project aimed at reusing old bicycles tires and inner tubes, which can be dropped off in designated containers to be transformed into belts and keychains, available for purchase at the Official Polimi Merchandise (see below).
Politecnico Official Merchandise – Green Collection (2019 – present)
A line of products branded Politecnico di Milano to promote the culture of sustainability, including various accessories, such as water bottles and bike helmets.
Policiclo (2014 – present)
The Politecnico di Milano bike repair station, located at the Bovisa-Candiani campus, run by student volunteers and open both to Polimi users and the local community as part of the third mission. It offers a free bike repair service and short training sessions on how to maintain your bike independently.
Awareness and Engagement Initiatives
Milano Bike Challenge (2015 – present)
A friendly competition between companies to encourage people to cycle to work.
In 2019, the Politecnico di Milano team won first place among organizations with more than 2,000 employees.