Everyone related to the world of two wheels was at the Milan Rho Exhibition Centre on Friday for the official opening of the 67th edition of the EICMA bike show.
Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo represented the Italian Government, with Guidalberto Guidi, the President of ANCMA, Roberto Formigoni, President of the Lombardy region, and Milan transport councillor Eduardo Croci also in attendance. “The 2009 Milan bike show opens in an excellent moment on the back of the incentive campaign promoted last year that lead to the buying of 50,000 bicycles partially funded by the initiative,” Guidi said. “This sales boom will hopefully be boosted further by the second round of incentives wanted by the minister of the Environment.”
With bicycle use ever increasing, especially as a means of transport, attention naturally turned to the situation in Milan. “The new products on show at EICMA will hopefully motivate the various institutions to help promote incentives even more, so that the bicycle become a healthy choice of transport,” Formigoni said, pleasing Croci. “For this reason, Milan will launch a regional incentive campaign, autonomous to the state scheme, so that more people ride the 1300 bikes and the urban bike paths.”
The new incentives were the main theme of the day and were also the main subject in Prestigiacomo’s speech: “After the boom of the first wave of incentives, the Berlusconi government will make 14 million Euro available for new projects that cover up to 30% of new bikes. It’s a further step forward to promote bike use in Italy, where millions are attracted by the technology, many new products and even the fashion for a vintage look.”