I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Maria David
LOCATION: Milan, Italy
OCCUPATION: Writer
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I have recently moved to Milan where there is a strong cycling culture. Although Italy is considered a big cycling nation I was a little daunted by cycling around Milan. The prospect of negotiating tramlines, riding over very bumpy paving stones, and the Italian style of “creative driving” did not give me confidence. In fact, cycling through Milan has turned out to be quite fun and motorists generally give way to cyclists.
What was your favorite city to ride in and why?
I’m from London, and I must say I really enjoyed cycling there. My commute to work involved cycling past famous landmarks in Westminster like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. I felt lucky to be able to ride past these places and take in the sights at a relaxed pace rather than being with stressed commuters on a crowded bus. Thanks to the efforts by the local authorities to improve facilities and encourage cycling, more people are choosing to travel by bicycle. Even the bike-sharing scheme (Boris Bikes) is very popular. Things are definitely rolling in the right direction, and this is probably also helped by the fact that the current Mayor of London is a keen cyclist.
