Milan has committed itself to constructing 750 kilometres of bike paths by 2035 as part of a plan to make cycling the most convenient form of local transport.
Based on data about the daily movements of residents, the Cambio network will link existing cycle paths and supplement them with new "super-cycle corridors" that will connect the city of Milan in northern Italy and all 133 communes within its wider metropolitan area.
Once completed, it will place 86 per cent of Milan's population and 80 per cent of services, including hospitals, schools and businesses, within one kilometre of a bike route.
The network of 24 cycle highways is set to be completed in 2035, by which time the city hopes that 20 per cent of all local transport will be undertaken by bike. The initiative forms part of the city's larger goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.
The Cambio network will span 24 different cycle highways. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan City of Milan
"It is a system project that sees cycling as a driving force for development, which integrates environmental protection, safety, economic development and general wellbeing," said the Metropolitan Council of Milan.
"??The development of cycling leads to the reduction of greenhouse gases, creating green corridors for the protection of biodiversity, making travel safer for all types of cyclists, improving public health and increasing the daily opportunitie...