The Mayor has called them ‘beasts.’
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but in my city (Rio de Janeiro), the plague of the bicycles and e-bikes has turned our already chaotic traffic into something far worse.
In the streets, over the pavement, riding in the wrong way, it’s only a matter of time until some city authority has to do something drastic about it.
And, of course, Rio is far from the only place where this is taking place. Take the United Kingdom, for example, where statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that the number of pedestrians seriously injured by cyclists hit a record level last year.
The Telegraph reported:
“The injury toll from serious collisions with a bike or e-bike in 2025 was up more than two-thirds compared with pre-pandemic levels, despite the number of miles cycled rising by only 1 per cent.
In 2025, 234 pedestrians were seriously injured by cyclists across England, Scotland and Wales, a 71 per cent increase compared with 2016 when 136 such injuries were logged by police.
[…] A record 70 people were hit by cyclists on ‘pedestrian crossing facilities’, which include zebra, pelican and toucan crossings, as well as controversial floating bus stops where those on foot have to cross a cycle lane.”
Mayor of Como, Italy, bans bikes after being hit by one https://t.co/ORCKtJ5pId pic.twitter.com/3dcyM4pqKD
— New York Post (@nypost) August 22, 2026
In the meantime, the mayor of the Italian tourist city of Como has banned riding bicycles in some areas of the city after he was hit by an electric one.
BBC reported:
“Alessandro Rapinese said the ban was necessary to improve public safety. It means from September, cyclists will have to dismount through an area of around 30 streets.
He told Italian news agency Ansa: ‘People act based on their own experiences and I know what it’s like to be hit by one of these beasts’.”
🇮🇹 Mayor Alessandro Rapinese has banned riding bicycles and e-bikes on around 30 streets in the historic centre after an e-bike struck him.
Rapinese admitted the collision inspired the measure—even though he did not require hospital treatment.
From September, cyclists must… pic.twitter.com/CSdjoJGRhM
— Europa.com (@europa) August 21, 2026
“The measure put forward by Rapinese is part of a package of new traffic regulations, establishing a Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL) to manage tourist growth, and which impose stricter rules on cars and vans in the city center.
Many of the roads covered by the ban are the widest in the old town and are popular with delivery drivers. The measure applies to both electric and push bikes, as the Italian highway code does not distinguish between models.”
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