More Bikes Sold Than Cars In Italy - First Time Since WW2

From the Bicycle Thief, filmed 1946 in the ravages of postwar Italy.

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More than 60 years after the making of ‘The Bicycle Thief’, a classic film about a man desperately hunting for the stolen bike that he needs for work, Italians have also hauled around 200,000 rusty old bikes from their garden sheds and attics and restored them to roadworthiness.

“More and more people are deciding to bring their old models out of the garage or the cellar,” said Pietro Nigrelli, of industry association Confindustria.

“Bikes are easy to use and they cost little. And on distances of five kilometres or less, they are often faster than other modes of transport.”

Out of a population of 60 million, 6.5 million Italians use a bike to get to work or school, while 10.5 million use them occasionally, mostly at weekends.

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