Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, February 27 2021 - Promote socialization and knowledge of the area, but also spread the culture of sustainable mobility among the little ones. These are the objectives of the Pedibus service which will be activated from March for primary school students of the Pasquale Sottocorno and Madre Teresa di Calcutta comprehensive schools in the Merezzate, Rogoredo and Santa Giulia districts.

The experience of the "Merezzate+" laboratory project is underway in the area, which aims to implement innovative and practical sustainability solutions dedicated to energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and the circular economy in the neighborhood, integrating them into a new model of urban development, focused on user needs and aiming for social inclusion.

The Pedibus project involves the organization of walking routes - approved by the Urban Safety Directorate of the Municipality of Milan - which, from certain collection points, take a group of children aged between 5 and 11 to school, accompanied by parent volunteers. The initiative is implemented with forms of education on respect for the environment and road safety regulations, with the aim of raising awareness among children and their families on the importance of sustainable mobility, individual behavior for an increasingly safe and clean and on the impact of pollution. It takes on greater importance in this period in which, due to anti-contagion regulations, it is necessary to reduce crowding on public transport.

Consorzio Poliedra - Politecnico di Milano, partner of the Merezzate+ project responsible for the development of actions relating to sustainable mobility, will print the kit of materials necessary for the start of the Pedibus: to guarantee the safety of the participants, in fact, all children will be given caps, bibs and flags. The initiative will start in March and will involve two primary schools: the San Giovanni Bosco school in via Sordello 7 and the Pasquale Sottocorno school in via Monte Piana 11.

“The Administration – declare the Councilor for Education Laura Galimberti and the Councilor for Mobility Marco Granelli – has always been committed to encouraging the development of innovative policies on environmental sustainability, especially when these policies concern the youngest, with the aim to train aware adults. In this case the Pedibus project achieves multiple objectives: educating children to respect the environment and road safety regulations, at the same time reducing traffic near schools at peak times and strengthening ties with the territory and social life also outside the classrooms. A real educational pact that neighborhood associations, schools and the Municipality are committed to carrying forward for an increasingly sustainable city".