Olbia at the Velo-City event in Belgium.
Olbia is ambassador for Italy at the event Velo-City by Gent. The Mezzo (1/2) project of sustainable and inclusive mobility in Olbia, supported by the Fondazione con il Sud, is fresh from a trip
important. In these days, in fact, in Ghent, Belgium, from 18 to 21 Junethe big “Velo-City 2024” conference is taking place.
It is aa now consolidated initiative, of an international nature, which is hosted in a different city every year and which through conferences, activities and panels aims to create greater awareness about the use of bicycles. Roberta Calcina, as president of the Hub.MAT association which is the leader of Mezzo(1/2), participated in a day of meetings, bringing Olbia’s sustainable and inclusive ambitions to the discussion table together with large European cities such as Paris, Brussels and Manchester.
At the “Velo-City” which is taking place in recent days, hosted at the Kuipke, the velodrome in Ghent, there are in fact around 1,600 delegates from public entities, private companies, associations and professionals who revolve around the world of means of transport sustainable and healthy. Among over 350 speakers, Italy was represented by the Mezzo project (1/2), also by the Municipality of Rimini, which will host the event in 2026, by the Municipality of Bologna, winner of the award in the Road Safety category, by Pinar Pinzuti of Bikeitalia.it. A participation that made Mezzo (1/2) a true Italian ambassador – among over 60 participating countries – of cycling.
“Yes, it was a great experience that led us to dialogue with high-level subjects. For us, an opportunity to take as many ideas as possible”, says Roberta Calcina. In the first of the four days of conferences, the delegate from Mezzo (1/2) talked about the value of a project that intends to change mobility habits within a city by involving a widespread and heterogeneous partnership. In fact, the project network, which began in 2023, includes the Municipality of Olbia, the University of Sassari, national and international companies such as Eetra and Decisio and voluntary associations.
“Velo-City”, born in 1980, is organized by the European Cyclists Federation (ECF). “The panel in which I was included was entitled “Wheels of Change” and Lyon, Paris, Brussels, Manchester, Ghent and a Dutch ministry were present – explains Roberta Calcina -. Realities much larger than ours, but I was able to talk about Mezzo (1/2) and in particular the monitoring activity that we have been engaged in in recent months. An activity that presents some difficulties, but compared to the use of standard tools, the project is managing to develop ad hoc innovative tools”.
An idea to improve the surveys on means of transport and towards a community that moves in an increasingly green and barrier-free way. Among the latest initiatives, in April the “In the MIDDLE of the park” day was held at the Fausto Noce park in Olbia. All the inclusive bikes purchased by the project have been made available to citizens and will soon be available free of charge in the velostation that will be installed in the station
Fs Newfoundland. Mezzo (1/2), thanks to the support of the CON IL SUD Foundation, intends to promote new sustainable transport services in the city of Olbia, aimed mainly at fragile people and their caregivers. In addition to the practical aspect, with the creation of the infrastructure and the use of new means, the project also intends to create greater awareness with communication campaigns, activities aimed at everyone and the involvement of schools.
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