Fatal cyclist accidents in Milan: what can be done

Robert Hope

April 22, 2023

They cycle, walk or ride on scooters. In bureaucratese they are called “weak users” or “vulnerable users”. In normal terms: people. Like the others, they have the same right to travel on the roads. However they are infinitely more exposed, for obvious reasons. In the event of a collision with vehicles weighing from one to several tons there is little that can be done, they can only come out well thanks to very fortunate circumstances. Normally, however, the damage is enormous, often lethal. In recent times the chronicles have recorded a certain frequency of fatal road accidents in which the victims are cyclists. Given the nature of their vehicle, the scenario is almost always the large urban centre: high traffic density and chaotic traffic constitute an extremely dangerous mix. In Milan in the last six months three people have died in similar circumstances. They are not few, if we compare them for example with the 229 deaths among cyclists that occurred throughout 2021 throughout the national territory following 16,448 road accidents. But then should the Lombard capital be considered a kind of capital of the cycling dead? The answer cannot be simple.

Fatal bicycle accidents in Milan: the numbers

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The latest tragedy in Milan in chronological order took place on 20 April: a cement mixer truck ran over a woman on a bicycle during a turn between corso di Porta Vittoria and via Francesco Sforza. On 1 February in Piazzale Loreto a large truck, still in the turning phase, hit another cyclist in full force. And on November 2, 2022, yet another woman on a bike was hooked up and dragged a few meters along the ramparts of Porta Nuova, once again by a cement mixer. The 2021 statistics compiled by the ACI, the latest available, show that the situation does not appear radically different from the usual: that year in the municipal area of ​​Milan 1,236 bicycles were involved in road accidents, which caused the death of 5 people and the wounding of another 1,166. For comparison, in the rest of the metropolitan city of Milan, out of 587 bikes involved, 5 were always killed, in addition to 561 injured. Broadening the observation point, in 2021 in the municipality of Milan alone, a total of 13,031 road accidents were recorded, causing 24 deaths and 8,309 injuries. In the rest of the province there were 7,488 accidents with 43 dead and 4,692 injured. At regional level, Emilia Romagna has the highest number of cyclists who died in 2021: they were 41. Lombardy follows with 37. The streets of Milan are therefore dangerous for cyclists given the size of the city and the number of vehicles in circulation along the total 1,945 kilometers of its road network. But in line with the situation of many other metropolises. The point is another: every death for these reasons is one too many. What is being done about it? In which directions can further action be taken?

Trucks: big and often “blind”

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We have seen that in the three most recent accidents in Milan, the cyclist was hit by a lorry. The elements known so far lead to the conclusion that the truck drivers most likely had not seen the bicycles. Net of other causes, it is the problem of the so-called “blind spot”. Rear view mirrors, no matter how large, cannot cover the entire view, there is always an area where an oncoming vehicle will not be covered. The larger the motor vehicle and the smaller the bicycle, the more volume is not visible at any given time. During a turn the danger becomes enormous, two of those three accidents happened in such circumstances. The European Union established in a 2019 regulation that new cars registered from 2022 and new trucks from 2024 must compulsorily fit these devices. However, millions of vehicles remain on the roads without them. And Italy has a very old average fleet. Half of the heavy vehicles are more than 15 years old, that’s more than 2.2 million vehicles. And only 19% (around 800,000 vehicles) have fewer than 5.

Only trucks with Adas in Area B and C

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So how to do it? Technology still comes in handy. These tools can also be mounted in the after market, i.e. after purchase. They do not apply the brakes automatically but make loud warning sounds. It’s always a help. Their price ranges from around 500 to 1,000 euros. But their installation is a free choice. The municipality of Milan would like to intervene in this sense, as confirmed by the Councilor for Mobility, Arianna Censi: “It would be appropriate to introduce this obligation at national level with a modification of the Highway Code. As municipal administration we will study the possibility of introducing this obligation in the circulation rules of our Ztl such as Area B and Area C, giving time to adapt to the vehicles in circulation and then being able to verify with all the control tools available that the vehicles in circulation we registered the installation of the device”.

Cycle paths

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Much debated topic. A cycle lane that is physically separated from the rest of the roadway can effectively protect bicycles (and pedestrians, if designed next to a sidewalk). But in a congested city like Milan it is not always possible. The current administration has created narrower lanes in some urban areas, without barriers dividing them from other vehicles, for example along Corso Buenos Aires, an installation accompanied by a lot of controversy. In reality we should talk about bike lane, cycle lane. The runway proper is the one separated by dividing barriers. Today the Lombard capital is covered by 312 km (about 16% of the total roads) between structured tracks, bike lanes and areas with speed limits at 30 km/h. The goal of the Sala junta is to gradually expand them, also redesigning the signs with the “advanced houses”, i.e. stop lines at traffic lights reserved for bicycles and placed further forward than the stop line for motor vehicles. In order to make the presence of cyclists at the intersection clearly visible. Work on the “curb” in Corso Buenos Aires will start in June (project started before the pandemic), so the lane will become a real cycle path.

Parking and public transport

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An efficient and widespread public transport network makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of cars in the city. Of course, in theory. Less in practice. Milan is very advanced in this sense compared to the rest of Italy. But he still needs to make a lot of progress. The M4 underground line, after many years of work, is gradually coming into operation. Once the Linate terminus has been opened, by June 2022 the service will be extended to the Dateo-San Babila section, thus connecting the entire city to the airport thanks to the interconnection with the M1. And for 2024, the opening of another 21 stations is planned. However, a pressing problem remains. Where to leave the car once you reach the metro? Current parking spaces are not sufficient. To meet current needs, around 89,000 parking spaces are missing during the day and 34,500 at night. This was estimated by the Assimpredil Ance association, in a meeting on April 21 which was also attended by the mayor. Sala’s position: «We have to recover space and there are two logical ways: the first is to build car parks and the second is to convince the Milanese, to convince us all, that we can do without a car to some extent. It would be preferable to create at-grade or elevated parking lots, instead of underground ones, because every time you dig you have underground utilities that interfere if it goes well, and you can find something that blocks the excavations”. The administration is therefore studying a new parking plan, in a city that has (considering all types) around 600,000. Priority will be given to areas where the need is particularly urgent such as viale Bande Nere, Città Studi, viale Corsica, viale Umbria and viale Molise.

Milan at 30 per hour? Partly

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Last January, the city council of Milan approved an agenda calling on the junta to institute a speed limit of 30 km/h on all city roads. It cannot be done, the Highway Code allows it to be lowered below 50 only on roads with precise characteristics and never on fast-flowing arteries. But extending the so-called “30 zones” is allowed and the Sala administration intends to do so. It will mainly focus on the streets surrounding the schools, then the back avenues and some neighborhoods, such as Isola.