Como Mayor Alessandro Rapinese, 50, is banning bicycles from 30 streets in his Italian city’s historic center after being struck by an e-bike himself.
The independent mayor, elected in 2022, announced the crackdown on both pedal bikes and electric bikes will take effect next month. Cyclists will be required to dismount and walk with their bicycles on the affected roads, many of which are wider thoroughfares popular with delivery drivers.
Rapinese openly admits the personal incident shaped his decision. “They accused me of adopting this measure because I was hit by an electric bike — and certainly, that was the case,” he told the Italian news agency Ansa.
“People act based on their own experiences, and I know what it’s like to be run over by those beasts … What if it had been a child or an elderly lady in my place?”
The mayor detailed the July incident on his channel RapiNews24. He was leaving Palazzo Cernezzi, Como’s city hall, in the rain when he heard a hissing sound. An e-bike traveling at full speed “mowed him down,” he recounted.
Rapinese said he did a “360-degree somersault” and fell, suffering a bruised and cut-up arm. He showed his injuries in a video clip from his channel.
His new ruling has drawn sharp criticism from residents and local advocates. Critics argue the ban strips Como of a low-cost, eco-friendly transportation option and will hurt local businesses by targeting delivery drivers. They contend the government should focus on reckless cycling behavior rather than an outright prohibition.
Nova Como, a local civic association, has organized a protest bike ride to city hall on Sept. 12 to push back against the measure.
Rapinese is standing firm despite the backlash. “We are convinced that this is the right decision,” he told Ansa.
“Just as the 2022 move to ban electric scooter rentals — ahead of other European cities — was.”
In the viral moment that sparked the controversy, Rapinese was walking near city hall in July when an e-bike rider collided with him at high speed, sending him tumbling and leaving him with visible arm injuries that he later displayed on his personal media channel.
The mayor’s term ends next year, and his scooter rental ban in 2022 was an earlier signature move on micromobility in the lakeside tourist destination.