"Pocos, locos y mal unidos." Decreasing the famous Spanish phrase attributed by historian Francesco Cesare Casula to a sixteenth-century bishop—who thus described the Sardinians—in the feminine form (poche, insane, and disunited) provides a perfect picture of Cagliari's bike paths. Not only that, but the adjectives should also include "dangerous."

Pros and cons

Sustainable mobility infuriates the political spectrum, with two die-hard supporters and opponents. On one side, those accuse them of "stealing" parking spaces from cars, increasing traffic chaos and harming commerce; on the other, those who would like them to be more convenient and functional, suitable for commuting to work as well as for leisure on Sundays.

The map

One thing is certain: 41 kilometers of bike paths out of a total of 600 kilometers of city streets is not a large number. Despite their limited length, which would require rationalization, the paths are used by few people. The reasons for this lack of popularity are related to the functionality of the routes: complicated, dangerous, and disconnected routes, and cars that often use the dedicated lanes for parking.

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