From Loreto to the Navigli: Milan’s new bike lane stretches over 10 kilometers

Starting in 2026, Milan will finally have a new cycling route crossing the city from north to south: the Beats lane (an acronym for “Bagolari East to South”) will connect Piazza Argentina to the Naviglio Pavese, passing through historic neighborhoods such as Lambrate, Porta Romana, Porta Lodovica, and Porta Ticinese. Just over ten kilometers of bicycle-only paths will link green spaces, schools, and residential streets, integrating with existing infrastructure, including the Vento cycle route, the major cycle-tourism axis currently under development that will connect Venice to Turin along the Po River.

The first section, from Piazza Buozzi in the Porta Romana district to the Naviglio Pavese in the south, will be ready by the end of 2025, in anticipation of the cycling flows expected for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. The route passes through urban areas and green spaces—from Parco Formentano to historic squares and streets such as Piazzale Libia, Via Piacenza, and Via Giulio Romano, reaching university areas like Via Bellezza, Parco Ravizza, and the Naviglio Pavese.

The project includes one-way bike lanes, protected crossings, and traffic lights with dedicated timing for cyclists, ensuring continuity and safety along the entire route.

The Buozzi–Naviglio Pavese bike lane is not an isolated initiative but part of a broader strategy through which Milan has progressively strengthened its cycling network in recent years. Projects like Strade Aperte, the 35 kilometers of bike lanes the Municipality of Milan began implementing after the 2020 lockdown, the renovation of Corso Buenos Aires, and studies on smart mobility systems aim to make the city increasingly accessible for cyclists. However, while drivers complain about the shrinking space for cars, for the vast majority of cyclists, Milan’s bike lanes are still insufficient compared to the demand.

The project currently has a total cost of 1.2 million euros and stems from a collaboration between the Municipality of Milan and Bloomberg Philanthropies, within the international Bici – Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure program, which supports the creation of safe cycling infrastructure worldwide. Milan was selected among the ten winning cities of the initiative, receiving co-funding of 400,000 dollars and technical support from the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) for design and data collection.

The remaining funds come from the municipal budget, under the supervision of the Mobility, Environment, and Territory Agency (AMAT), tasked with monitoring cycling flows and evaluating the effectiveness of the infrastructure.

Political and administrative coordination of the project is entrusted to councilors Arianna Censi (Mobility) and Marco Granelli (Public Works).

Opening image: Photo by Samuel Isaacs on Unsplash