Sustainable mobility on school benches: the TERRAIN project in Bologna

The European project brings practical road education and cycling workshops to schools in Bologna, involving girls and boys in an inclusive path towards a new culture of sustainable mobility.

In Bologna, road education and the use of bicycles become a concrete experience, lived every day even by the new generations. Funded by the European Union through the Interreg Ipa Adrion program, the TERRAIN project accompanies this path, which is now entering its most significant phase, transforming theory into practical and engaging laboratories

to promote more sustainable behavior.

From theory to the road: the stages of the journey

The project started among the benches of class 4A of Manzolini primary school (Comprehensive Institute 8), divided into key moments:

• February: Lessons dedicated to road safety by the Local Police, to understand the fundamental rules.

• April: Practical saddle riding tests (balance, signals, posture) organized by Bologna Welcome in collaboration with local realities. An activity that has helped beginners to overcome emotional barriers and already experienced students to improve their control of the vehicle.
• May: Basic cyclomechanics workshops and, as a final goal (May 26), a ride along the Navile cycle path with a discovery of the urban natural environment and a visit to the Museum of Industrial Heritage.

Behind TERRAIN there is a solid local network (which sees the Municipality collaborating with L'Altra Babele, Slow Emotion and Appennino Slow). Thanks to this synergy, the L'Altra Babele association has made available bicycles regenerated with recycled materials.

In addition, the availability of a tandem and a three-seater rickshaw bike provided by Slow Emotion has guaranteed full inclusion, allowing physical or cognitive barriers to be overcome and guaranteeing everyone maximum participation in total safety.

The journey continues: the model extends

Teaching how to ride a bike is only the starting point for building a new culture of mobility that involves families and communities, in line with the objectives of Bologna Climate Mission.

Given the great success and the growing demands from schools and teachers, at the beginning of the next school year the experience will be extended to three other classes of first grade secondary schools, winners of the “We were born to walk” competition. The pilot project, born from the shared path of the Living Lab in Bologna, is thus confirmed as a sustainable, inclusive and easily replicable model.