A Bruised Ego and a Blanket Ban: Como's Mayor Wages War on Bicycles

Northern Italy frequently coasts on its impeccable aesthetic reputation, projecting an image of serene lakeside elegance that masks the somewhat erratic nature of its local administration. In Como, a city groaning under the weight of summer tourism and notoriously creaky state infrastructure, urban planning has taken a rather personal turn. Starting this September, cyclists will be forced to dismount and walk through roughly thirty streets in the walled historical centre. The reason for this sudden regulatory sweep is not a comprehensive traffic study or a grand vision for pedestrian safety, but a bruised political ego.

Mayor Alessandro Rapinese is implementing the blanket ban after a personal encounter with the front wheel of an electric bicycle. In June, while exiting city hall, the mayor was struck by an unidentified rider. Rather than treating the incident as a routine occupational hazard in a congested city, Rapinese has weaponised municipal policy. Because the Italian highway code lacks the regulatory sophistication to distinguish between heavy, battery-assisted e-bikes and traditional push bicycles, the prohibition applies to all two-wheeled, non-motorised transport. Rented e-scooters already faced a similar expulsion from the city centre in 2022.

The mayor has been refreshingly, if shamelessly, transparent about his motivations. Speaking to the national news agency, Rapinese confirmed the accusations of a personal vendetta, stating “I’ve been accused of adopting this measure because I was hit by an electric bike – certainly, that is true. People act based on their own experiences and I know what it’s like to be hit by one of these beasts.” He further justified the preemptive strike on cyclists by arguing that he was taking action before a child was injured, noting, “Here, I didn’t even end up in hospital. I was hit by a bike, I gathered information and that’s where this measure came from.”

Naturally, the decree has united the chronically fractured Italian political spectrum in sheer disbelief. Paolo Emilio Russo of the right-wing Forza Italia dismissed the prohibition as absurd, while the local Democratic Party criticised the penalisation of workers and residents who rely on sustainable transport. Vincenzo Falanga, representing the civic group Nova Como, accused the administration of elevating an individual grievance to a collective punishment. Activists are currently organising a mid-September protest ride through the forbidden zones to challenge the mayoral edict.

The economic collateral damage of Rapinese’s personal crusade will fall squarely on delivery riders and the local shop owners who depend on them to navigate the narrow, crowded streets. In a country where the state infrastructure frequently borders on the dysfunctional, flexible micro-mobility is often the only efficient way to conduct business in historic centres. Banning an entire mode of low-cost transport because of one rogue rider perfectly encapsulates a style of governance where personal vendettas masquerade as public safety measures. Como may look perfect on a postcard, but its traffic policy is currently being dictated by the mayor's own bruised shins.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com