TRAVERSELLA
The signs that have appeared for a few days on the roads of Valchiusella and that invite motorists to be careful, since those same roads are frequented by cyclists, are already being discussed. This was enough to ignite discussions on the conflicting relationship between motorists and cyclists. The first accused of feeling the masters of the road, the second of having no respect for the pedalers.
On one point they all agree: on most of the roads in the valley it is not possible to observe the distance of one meter and a half between cars and cyclists, even if the latter were, but this rarely happens, in single file. This is also the opinion of the Eporediese Paola Gianotti, cyclist holder of four Guinness World Records and who is one of the promoters of the signpost initiative, which affects the entire national territory: “I know the roads of Valchiusella well, however I want to emphasize that the spirit of the initiative is to raise awareness among motorists by inviting them to respect bicycle enthusiasts. I know well that even cyclists are sometimes at fault, however if they make a mistake, little or nothing happens to them, but if those who drive the car make a mistake, the dead can also escape. Just a distraction and the irreparable happens. In fact, I see too many people who, while driving, call their mobile phones or send messages ». For the former surgeon Paolo Ghiggio, who has always been a tireless pedaler, it is a question of educating each other to mutual respect. «In the past I used to ride with groups of friends. Later, just to avoid being involved in unpleasant situations, I preferred to ride alone and, where present, strictly on the white side line of the carriageway. However, with a bit of common sense, I believe that coexistence between those who ride and those who drive is possible ».
Even the mayor of Brosso, Mauro Nicolino, gets on his bicycle as soon as he can: «I’m a cyclist, but also a motorist. And from this second observatory I often see indefensible behavior of the pedalers, with groups of cyclists walking side by side, chatting amiably. But there are also motorists who, when faced with a cyclist who slows down or creates dangerous situations, trumpets with the horn and then moves on to invective. And it must be said that a cyclist’s run over creates a stir, while a car that has gone off the road goes by in silence to avoid overwhelming a pedal rider ». GIACOMO GROSSO