Spring has arrived and Romes transport authorities are doing everything possible to encourge people to leave cars at home and take a bicycle instead. There are already 150 km of cycle track in and around the city and a further 11 km are in the making.

It is now possible to take a cycle on the first carriage of the trains on the metro line B from Rebibbia to Laurentina and on the trains from Rome to Ostia all day on Sundays and holidays and after 21.00 on weekdays. In the past six months almost 4,000 cyclists have taken advantage of this service.

Since mid-March it has been possible to take a cycle on bus number 791, which goes from Piazza Nervi at EUR to the Circonvallazione Cornelia in Boccea. The bus passes Villa Pamphilj where there are cycle tracks and it also crosses a 30 km track at the Ponte Marconi, which runs for from Castel Giubileo in the north of the city to Mezzocamino in the south, often along the Tiber. In the historic centre there are now clean and inviting cycle paths on both sides of the river; a pleasant and traffic-free way of getting from Piazza del Popolo to Trastevere.

The city council is hoping to launch a project which will make it possible to hire a bicycle in one place and leave it another and bicycle racks are being installed at railway and underground stations.