There are many bike sharing services in the Lombard capital and even clubs and bars for cyclists: all the suggestions in the post!
Milan has changed in recent years. I was born and raised in Milan and at times this city is a bit tight on me, but in recent years it has been doing everything to please itself more and more ... and slowly it is also making an impression on me.
Milan changes throughout the year but I notice the changes in the city in September, a month that marks the beginning of a new year for me. Usually in August I go elsewhere and leave Milan to its works to make itself more beautiful, so when I return in September I like to go around with my nose up to look for all the news and find the differences between how I left it and how meeting!
Getting around Milan by bike
Surely one of the major changes in the Milanese reality concerns its being bike friendly and I am very happy about this. Yes, I am also a passionate cyclist, I find that the bike is the most beautiful and green (and comfortable for a latecomer like me) way to get around the city. When I started using the bike in Milan, now ten years ago, to go to school, I remember we were few and the cycle paths were just a distant mirage.
Today the situation has definitely changed. I continue to ride my bike but I am surrounded by many other cyclists, with whom to whiz along the cycle paths. By now those who prefer two wheels to cars or public transport are transversal: from the student, to the manager, from the mother with one or two children in the seat, to the lawyer going to court! in conclusion the bike is a vehicle for everyone and so it is also becoming an aesthetic, trendy object to show off on the Milanese streets.
How to integrate bicycles into the city
The cyclists, now about 100.000 Milanese, have imposed themselves in the city of Milan and so the Milanese capital has equipped itself to welcome them.
As? Let's start from the basics, first of all they created numerous racks around the city: also because by now in the most crowded places it had become difficult to find a free pole to tie up your bike!
Secondly, they are building more and more cycle paths, now they are 218 kilometers of cycle paths on the road and in green areas. Above all these kilometers of cycle paths are more and more continuous and so we do not find ourselves having cycle paths that end up in nothing.
One of the longest and most interesting for those who travel daily to Milan is the one that gives Garibaldi station it runs through the whole new Porta Nuova district and reaches the Central Station or even Buenos Aires. Or the one that surrounds the Parco Sempione. And finally, in all newly built areas, cyclists are also considered among the users!
But the city is not becoming bike friendly only for those who have a bike, it has also equipped itself to allow those who choose not to have a bike or those coming from outside Milan to use a bike when they arrive in the city.
BikeMi, integrated bike sharing
In fact, in the Lombard capital there is the BikeMi, a bike sharing service of the municipality of Milan, with traditional and pedal assisted bikes (150 of which with child seats) BikeMi is the the first example in the world of an integrated bike sharing system, unique in size, complexity and innovation.
This bike sharing service, usable with subscription (36,00 yearly, 9,00 weekly and 4,50 daily or with an occasional rental), is the most used bike sharing service in Milan.
Free flow bike sharing, what does it mean?
But there is not only this bike sharing service, although for me it is the best one for the quality of the bikes and the service. In fact, there are also services of free-flowing bike sharing, like those of Mobike. What does free flow bike mean? Simply pick up and drop off your bike anywhere in the city.
In this way the bike has truly become a way of getting around integrated with other means of transport!
Cargo Bikes for the whole family
One last news, of which I am very proud, concerns the Cargo bike: a reality that is finally taking place in Milan too. Every now and then we see moms and dads circulating with theirs Cargo bikes loaded with children or bags! I obviously can't wait to buy it !!
Bike friendly bars and clubs
Finally, dear cyclists, now I turn to you, to reveal to you that they also exist in Milan bike friendly bars and clubs. What does it mean? If you are out and about on two wheels, you can make a stop in these places and you will find assistance you and your bike. After enjoying a glass of wine you can in fact find all the tools to arrange your vehicle!
The wish I have is that soon the number of those who abandon the car in favor of the bicycle will increase and that Milan will become even more bike friendly and more and more green!
