Biking in Milan
I live in Milan and I bike everywhere. It has always been this way since I’ve moved here. I prefer it over public transport and car, even though I have a car. It is not about sustainability, as biking is usually marketed. If you ask me, the environment is already gone for good. It is just better for everybody around. I don’t want to list all the reasons here, because they are evident if you want to see them. I just want to report my personal experience.
Road rage
My relationship with biking in the city has changed over time. At first, I was a rebel. I’ve never been scared of traffic. I am not scared of hurting myself, in fact I don’t use a helmet. When I have found myself in an environment where cars rule everything, I spontaneously started fighting. I don’t say that it is a fair fight. I was fighting for myself or at most for my category, which is very individualistic. That led to a situation where I didn’t respect rules or other people on the street. I was constantly insulting and getting insulted by drivers. I spat on the handles of all cars parked on the cycling lanes. I was just trying to survive and to get my share of freedom. How to blame me? I was the one risking his life out there after all. But then it became clear to me that I wasn’t respecting anybody, not even pedestrians, not even fragile people, like children or seniors. Thas was not always true: I always helped seniors on the street or let precedence to pedestrians in the crossings, when I noticed them. However, when I am in that survival frenzy, I don’t see people, only obstacles.
The good cyclist
But then I disgusted myself a few times. I remeber one occasion when I passed by some children on a pedestrian crossing and I got insulted by their parents and ran away. I didn’t feel like I may hit them, I felt in control of the distances, but then I understood that I made them feel unsafe. So I started being more careful and respecting the rules, not only other people. I thought that if cyclists respected the rules, drivers would be more willing to respect them, so I decided to set a good example. And I swear that you can easily get noticed. Waiting for green light at the semaphore, as a cyclist, is remarkable since very few do. I am still trying, but the main achievement I obtained is the acknowledgement of the fact that there is no place for cyclists in this city. Riding across the city has become oppressive, I even get panic attacks at times. Whatever I do is wrong. You can’t act like cars, but you can’t act like pedestrains either. On most of the roads, there is no other choice, so you get hatred in any case, whether you act recklessly or you try to respect everybody. And frankly, it is so frustrating to get hated when you try to do your best. It has become a pain to use the bike and I fear that I will end up using it less and less.
A new hope
Yesterday night I went to a protest (#bastamortiinstrada) here in Milan, to ask for more safety regulations on the city roads. We were asking for the 30 km/h limit everywhere in the city. But more generally, we were requesting more space for cyclists and pedestrians. Being a good cyclist is not enough, it has become clear. The submission is not a solution. The ill infrastructure is turning every category against the other and the solution is to change it. There is a stronger party that has to step back so the city can become a safer and more livable place.
I don’t love protests, the last time I’ve been to one I was at high school, and this time I didn’t have fun at all. However it gave me a new hope. Seeing so many people rooting for a better city made me think that it is possible, that this is something worth hoping for. I hate this city because it is polluted and full of cars. I may leave it soon for this reason, but in the meantime, I will try to make it a better place.
References
I haven’t dwelled too much on the current situation in the city in terms of politics, and accident statistics, because I wanted to share my personal experience. However, if you’re interested in the topic I will leave here some links.
- Gli incidenti in bicicletta a Milano sono aumentati - IlPost 1 (nice infographics)
- Città e piste ciclabili: non ci manca lo spazio, ma l’immaginazione - ValigiaBlu 2
- Basta Morti In Strada - Call to Action 3
