A European tourist hotspot has banned bikes in swathes of the city after a cyclist smashed into the mayor.
Alessandro Rapinese, the mayor of Como, brought in a total cycling ban across 30 streets in the historic Italian lakeside city after being struck by an e-bike himself.
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The ban, which takes effect from September, will force riders to get off and walk their bicycles through the affected area.
Mr Rapinese justified the move as essential for public safety.
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He told Italian news agency Ansa: “People act based on their own experiences and I know what it’s like to be hit by one of these beasts.”
The mayor detailed the circumstances behind his decision in a self-produced online video series called RapiNews24.
He described how he had been leaving the town hall in July when he was involved in a collision with an e-bike, shortly after his administration had been deliberating over traffic controls in the centre.
The rider who collided with him has not yet been tracked down.
“In this case, I didn’t even end up in the hospital. I was hit by a bike. I gathered information, and that’s where the measure came from,” Mr Rapinese said.
The cycling restriction forms part of a wider set of traffic rules creating a Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL) designed to cope with rising tourist numbers whilst tightening controls on motor vehicles in the old town.
Because Italian road law draws no distinction between conventional and electric bikes, the ban covers both.
A number of the streets included in the ban are among the broadest in the ancient centre and are frequently used by delivery drivers.
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Under the new ZTL regulations, certain vehicles will need an annual permit along with a daily entry charge of €3 (£2.60).
Como’s Roman-walled heart already operates under a limited-traffic zone, and bicycles have long served as a preferred mode of transport for residents.
The decision has provoked considerable opposition locally, with an online petition launched in an effort to overturn the resolution.
Civitas Como, a citizens’ organisation in the city, has questioned the legal basis of the measure, calling it “questionable and erroneous”.
A protest cycling event has been arranged for 12 September by the Nova Como association.
Como is not alone among Italian cities in curtailing bicycle use in congested or heritage areas, however.
Palermo in Sicily has restricted cycling on portions of its main roads since 2023.
Across the continent, various local authorities – Britain included – have imposed limitations on where e-bikes and similar single-person vehicles can go.
In France, Paris tightened safety rules for e-scooter users after outlawing rental e-scooters entirely in 2023.
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