The Italian roads are not child -friendly: the European ranking Boccia Milano, Rome and Florence

In Italy, The streets of the cities are not child -friendly. This is confirmed by a new ranking published by Clean Cities Campaign, which analyzed 36 European cities evaluating them on the basis of three fundamental criteria for safe and healthy urban mobility of the little ones: number of school roads, presence of separate cycle infrastructures and areas 30 km/h.

The result is a rejection throughout the line: No Italian city enters the top 10. The first is Bologna, but only in 16th placefollowed by Milan (23a), Turin (24a), Florence (29a) and Rome (32a).

Still, there is a small record: Italian cities defend themselves on the school road frontthat is, those closed permanently or temporary to motorized traffic. «The best results in the subject of school roads are observed where there is a strong civic pressure from the bottoma sign that the work of movements from the bottom and parents can produce concrete results, especially in the context of school roads », explains Anna Becchi, Campaign Lead of Streets for Kids.

Milan is second in Europe by number of school roadsTurin Quarta, Bologna eleventh, Rome sixteenth. Florence, on the other hand, is a tail light: it does not even have a school road.

In Milan, the “Open squares” program has already produced 14 new school roads by 20245 others are under construction in 2025, and 23 are already today car free during entry and output hours. But that’s not enough. “It is necessary to continue at a tight pace to respond as soon as possible to the instances of the citizens” and “we need a shared political address to accelerate the transformation of the city, making the communication and planning of interventions increasingly clear and explicit in all its phases”, reads the report.

In Rome, the school streets are 15 pedestrian (12 historic and 3 recent) and 5 temporary. However, the project slowed down due to the lack of funds. The mayor Roberto Gualtieri reiterated his intention to create the 34 school roads planned, but but The capital is among the last three cities in Europe for cycle infrastructures separated.

Own The lack of protected cycle paths is a weak point for all Italian cities. Milan, Bologna, Turin and Florence are only in the middle of the standings, while Rome is almost basically. A photograph that highlights the lack of investments in safe and continuous cycle infrastructures.

The gaps on the front of speed moderation is also serious. Only Bologna is saved thanks to politics City 30, ranking in 18th place. Florence (24a), Milan (30a), Turin (31A) and Rome (33A) follow. According to the report, «The moderation of traffic and speed in the streets near the schools must be a priorityfor the benefit of the whole community, not only for those who attend schools ».

In the meantime, The mobilization continues until the end of May Streets for Kids, With over 100 initiatives only in Italy, within a total of about 500 in all of Europe. Between Girotondi, bicycles and neighborhood parties, children, parents and activists ask for safer and healthier cities. The updated map of mobilizations is Available online.

But the data are clear: On average every day a child dies on the roads of the European Unionand 18 others remain seriously injured. To these are added the effects of pollution, responsible for over a thousand premature deaths per year between children and teenagers in Europe. “More cars means less freedom for children to move independently, especially for girls,” explains the countryside, denouncing an “inactivity epidemic” among the youngest.

In the rest of Europe, progress are made. At the top of the ranking we find Paris, which “has conquered the first place between 36 European cities thanks to its extended network – although relatively new – of protected cycle paths, reduced speed limits and limited or absent traffic areas near schools”.

London is first for absolute number of school roads (525), followed by Milan and Paris. In some cities, at least one fifth of primary schools has a school road: it happens in London, Milan, Paris, Turin and Antwerp. Paris and Helsinki are the best by extension of protected cycle paths. Paris also leads the ranking of areas 30 with 89% of the roads involved, followed by Brussels, Lyon, Amsterdam, Bristol and Madrid.

The conclusion is clear: “School streets are an opportunity to make cities places safer and healthier and to measure.” In Italy, the civic thrust is there. But without an investment decided by the administrationsour cities will remain dangerous, polluted and inhospitable for smaller citizens.