Rome Fun
Finally, Rome is joining in the initiative which is looking rather identical to projects already in function (moreover with large success) in other large European cities. The problem in large cities is always the same: traffic, pollution, smog. What can be the answer to these unfortunately, typical situations? A lot of people agree that the answer is the bicycle.
The transport on two wheels (not motorized) is perfectly ecological and, carried out on a large scale, can achieve the goal of reducing the city’s traffic. Moreover, moving around on bike is very agile and gives the chance to go through small roads, taking shortcuts and entering alleys that other means of transportation do not permit. Therefore, thumbs up for the bike!
For this reason, the city of Rome has begun its new project: some months ago, the bike sharing service was inaugurated (in Italian “biciclette condivise). The start up has been with 19 stations positioned in all the historic city centre. Some examples: Piaza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Parlamento and Largo Argentina. In these stations it is possible to automatically withdraw a bike thanks to a sort of swipe card, a “smart card” in sale in all of the tourist information offices. It works in a way that you take a bike, ride it to your destination and you can then leave the bike in any other station in the city (the closest to where you’re going).
Here is the list of the first stations of bike sharing activated by the Comune di Rome: Piazza del Parlamento, via del Corso 1 (piazza del Popolo), piazza Sforza Cesarini, piazza Madonna di Loreto (Piazza Venice), piazza Colonne, piazza di Spagna, largo delle Stimmate (Argentina), piazza delle Cinque Lune (piazza Navona), piazza del Biscione (Campo de’ Fiori), piazza San Silvestro, piazza dell’Oro, piazza dell’Oratorio, via della Panetteria (via del Tritone), piazza Sant’Andrea della Valle, vicolo della Campana (via della Scrofa), largo Arenula, via di Santa Maria in Via (Fontana di Trevi), via Santa Caterina da Siena (Pantheon) and via dei Pontefici.
At the moment, it is an experimental project and the results are constantly monitored. In case of success, the Comune di Rome will think of extending the service also to the areas far from the historic city centre. An example of European cities in which the bike sharing scheme has obtained an enormous success is Barcelona, where the stations of “Bicing” are in their hundreds, positioned in the entire city and able to guarantee a perfect service of transportation.
It is a new way to experience the city and a project that can improve the level of living. And the positive results can reflect on the tourist side. Come to Rome, visit the city and see with your own eyes this service in function. A good tip to finding your accommodation (appartamenti a Roma) is to book your apartment (appartamenti Roma) on-line. Without forgetting the possibility of a hotel a Roma: every tourist is different and has different needs so it is therefore recommendable to do some careful research before you go.