The construction of Ferrara’s new Smart Bike Lane. Adapting to new conditions and challenges

The original idea for the construction of the smart component of the cycle lane foresaw the exploitation of the hi-tech modules mOOve™: an innovative technology that would have allowed embedding smart sensors (e.g., users-counter, air-quality, etc…), contributing to the collection of data for the city’s mobility and AQ monitoring networks,¹ directly in the pavement of the infrastructure, together with safety features such as led-lightening and anti-frost. Unfortunately, the concretization of this idea encountered various challenges: first of all, challenges related to the procurement. Considering that the installation of the mOOve™ modules would have been tested for the first time ever through the Air-Break project, MUA had to spend several months identifying which best approach, compliant with national and European regulations, would have to be used for their purchase and installation. Furthermore, the consequences of shortages on the worldwide supply-chain related to the COVID-19 pandemic and of the energy crisis caused by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, heavily affected the intervention. In fact, the construction process underwent an abrupt setback in May 2022 when the selected supplier and owner of the patent for the mOOve™ modules withdrew from contract due to the impossibility to deliver the product within the timeframe and at the price defined in the procurement procedure. 

_{1. The elaboration process and functioning of the monitoring network is described in the first Air-Break Zoom-In, while the data collected through the Air-Break network are available on the project’s official webpage. The data will feed the elaboration of well-informed policies and behavioural changes strategies towards more sustainable individual mobility choices; more details on that are present in the second Air-Break Journal).} 

Despite the multiple adversities, the Air-Break partnership showed an exceptional capacity of resilience and creativity, quickly adapting to the new conditions and finding in a short period of time a valuable in-house alternative that managed to maintain the innovative aspect of the cycle lane. The construction works finally started at the end of May 2022, and the provider of smart cameras to be installed along the cycle lane to monitor the bicycle traffic and the adaptive lighting system (alternative to the initial idea of sensors embedded in the modular flooring) has been identified by MUA through a second public tender. 

The Smart Bike Lane connects the Technological-Scientific Pole located in the West of the city, near the central station of Ferrara, to “Via Cavour” through “Via del Mulinetto” and “Corso Isonzo”. The pathway intersects two of the four Smart-Hubs installed by Hera, the one located by the University Pole, and another one in “Via Darsena”, by the Wunderkammer (Palazzo Savonuzzi).² 

At the time of my writing, the civil construction works of the infrastructure as well as the preparation of the electrical wiring for the installation of the smart devices are completed, and the latter have been assembled and are currently being tested. Their installation and, therefore, the finalization of the construction process, is expected by the end of the summer.   

The picture below shows the localisation and sections in which the cycle lane is divided, each one having specific characteristics.

_{2. More details about the composition and localisation of the four Smart-Hubs can be found in the first Air-Break Journal}

The first section, which begins at the Tecnopole Centre, runs along “Via del Mulinetto” and ends before crossing the “Ponte della Pace” bridge, is the longest one and will host the greater number of smart devices: here MUA will install an adaptive lighting system, a bicycles counter that will feed data about the cycling traffic on the lane into the monitoring system developed within the Air-Break project, and a digital outdoor totem providing up-to-date air quality information in a friendly and accessible way. 
Along “Via del Mulinetto” the interventions concerned:

• The removal of architectural barriers to also facilitate the connection with the riverbank.
• The partial removal of the fallow green.
• The construction of a new paving using recycled materials. 

Furthermore, near the Tecnopole, a small area along the pathway has been dedicated to greenery and enriched with new plantations.

A portion of the section including “Ponte della Pace” bridge and “Via Darsena” hosted already a bicycle lane which has been renovated and redesigned to be integrated within the new Air-Break infrastructure. 

The third section has been created in the middle of Corso Isonzo, exploiting the already existing central flowerbed. Similarly to the first one, this section will be equipped with an informative totem and a bicycle counter.

Even though it has not been possible to apply the mOOve™ technology, the Smart Bike Lane that is taking form in Ferrara thanks to the efforts and creativeness of the Air-Break partners will represent a great example of multifunctional cycling infrastructure, not only at city level but at regional and national levels. 
An intervention that aims at creating new things starting from the existing ones, that is constructed in accordance with the local context and integrates green elements and smart components that can support informed policy decision-making processes and educate citizens on the benefits of sustainable means of transportation. 
The city of Ferrara and the project partnership have demonstrated an excellent capacity of resilience by promptly responding to the implementation challenges analysed above; however, the bumpy journey that characterized the construction of the infrastructure teaches us how important it is to work within a flexible framework that allows continuous in-progress adjustments and encourages experimentation and research for increasingly new and innovative ideas.