Italian cities see bicycle boom after COVID-19 lockdown

Askoll Eva SpA

23/06/2020 13:05

By Angelo Amante
    ROME, June 23 (Reuters) - Italy has seen a surge in bicycle
sales since the government ended its coronavirus lockdown as
people steer clear of public transport and respond to government
incentives to help the environment.
    Some 540,000 bikes have been sold nationwide since shops
across the country reopened in early May, according to sector
lobby Ancma, a 60% increase in the first month compared to the
same period in 2019.
    To keep people off metros and buses and avoid road
congestion, the government has offered to contribute up to 500
euros ($562.70) for city-dwellers who buy traditional or
"pedal-assisted" electrical bicycles.
    The subsidy, which kicked in on May 4 and runs to the end of
the year, has accelerated a trend in place even in small centres
where it is not available.
    "May has been an extraordinary month for the e-bike market,"
Gian Franco Nanni, chief executive of Italian electric vehicle
producer Askoll EVA  EVAS.MI  told Reuters. "We have seen
triple-digit growth in orders compared with a year ago." 
    With more than 34,600 deaths, Italy has the world's fourth
highest COVID-19 toll and authorities have warned the risk of
infection is still high in crowded places.
    The government has set aside 120 million euros for its
incentive plan, and has said it will make more funds available
if needed.
    Bicycle use has been traditionally popular in the flat
northern cities of the Po Valley such as Bologna and Parma, but
is now also becoming more frequent in cities further south.
    "We have sold more than 50 bikes since we reopened," said
Simone Lazzaretti, who runs the "Lazzaretti" bike shop in the
hilly capital Rome, where bicycles had never really caught on as
a means to get around town.
    "We've sold out of all the less expensive pedal-assisted
models and only have top-of-the-range ones left, which cost
around 2,500 euros," he said. 
($1 = 0.8886 euros)

 (Editing by Gavin Jones and Chizu Nomiyama)
 ((Angelo.Amante@thomsonreuters.com;))