In Italy, doubling the eco-incentives for the purchase of bicycles!

by Silvia Musso

The Ministry of Environment has allocated another 10 million euro to finance the economic incentives for the purchase of a new bicycle. In just 20 days the initial 8,750,000 euro were volatilized thanks to the on-line campaign launched April 22 and almost immediately stopped. After the boom of requests which have sent in tilt informatic system the campaign restarts with momentum. Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo has decided to allocate new funding to «an initiative that has had an extraordinary success and should be promoted and implemented, meet the desire for mobility "clean" that Italian families have shown».

Unexpected results for the promoters. More positive outcome when you consider that the "informal" campaign was launched only online and has done all the "word of mouth". Groups of cycling enthusiasts have turned to the voice and retailers have informed potential customers with newspaper clippings attached to the windows.

In the field of muscle-propelled mobility, this campaign represents a historical turning point for Italy. For the first time it was granted a discount of 30% up to a maximum of 700 euro in spending for the purchase of a bicycle without the requirement of destruction.
Antonella De Luca, 40 years of Settimo Torinese, has purchased a new city-bike by taking advantage of the initiative. «I went to the shop near home. I had just to choose the bike and I was immediately applied the discount. I am happy and satisfied».

Luca Mariano is a special manufacturer of bicycles, they are few in Italy, rather widespread in Northern Europe. His small workshop produces a reclining bicycles cost, better known as Ecobent - Ecological and cheap. He represents the small artisans working for sustainable mobility and sells worldwide. «The incentives allocated are an excellent initiative in terms of intentions, but the way they are made leaves much to be desired. First, the access to contributions is limited to a list of makes and models that only companies registered to the ANCMA (Association National Cycle Motorcycle Accessories) were able to communicate. Ecobent, like all small producers who represent the ancient tradition of cycling in Italy, is not included and this prevents the access to contribution. The mechanism for delivery of assistance perplexes from the technical point too. The entire on-line system is closely integrated with the computer systems of Unicredit Bank; in fact, to access the system and then to obtain reimbursement of the incentives that advance their own pockets, the dealer is forced to open a bank account with this bank».

Then all the actors of the campaign seem to be subject to constraints: the manufacturer of the bicycle must be associated with Ancma; a reseller must open a current account with a particular bank; the customer must look for information on internet, the only medium that has conveyed the campaign. If the government does not undertake to create the conditions to encourage this type of mobility, such as creating bicycle paths, this new bike park will be in danger of being relegated to the cellar.