Palermo (gro) The historic heart of Palermo has been a traffic-calmed zone (Zona traffico limitato/Ztl) since October 10. About three square kilometers are that in the fifth largest city in Italy, in it the cathedral with the seat of the archbishop and patriarch of Sicily. Besides, the most important museums of the island metropolis are to be found within the zone to be calmed, also the Palazzo Reale, the splendid castle dating back to Arab/Norman times, in which the regional parliament meets, furthermore the district office, several courts of justice, numerous churches and legendary palazzi like the Steri, in which the feared but Holy Inquisition resided for 250 years, also the town hall, the Palazzo delle Aquile. Since October 10, 2016, anyone who wants to enter this culturally rich zone with their motorized vehicle, even if they live in the calmed area or need to go to, say, the central children’s hospital, must pay admission.
After a week, chaos reigns first.
The protection zone should have been set up months ago, The project, however, was delayed again and again. And a week after the start reigns first of all chaos. Several businessmen within the protection zone complain and demonstrate because of missing customers and threatening bankruptcies, hotels criticize the uncertainty of tourists and numerous inhabitants of the “restricted area” feel since 10 October actually “downright locked up”. The city administration has provided a lot of assistance. However, they are not all working yet.
Passing permits are also available via the Internet.
If you live within the zone called Ztl, you have to buy a permit for your vehicle, if you want to continue using it, either at a responsible authority or at the automobile club ACI, comparable to the German ADAC. Such a permit can also be purchased over the Internet. It costs 90 or 80 euros for a year, 50 euros for six months and 5 euros for a day. If you live outside the zone but want to enter the center, you pay 100 euros for an annual permit, 20 euros for a month, 50 euros for half a year and 5 euros for a day. Passes are also available for buses, but here you have to pay considerably more, namely 600 euros, for an annual concession (monthly concession 120 euros, half-year ticket 300, daily ticket 30 euros). Free are electric vehicles and particularly low-emission automobiles and vehicles of the disabled.
Italian deception.
While in Germany “traffic-calmed zones” are literally defined by speed limits, in Italy such zones (in Milan, Florence, Verona, Rome or Bari) are a sham. A speed limit is at least not in the foreground (and in Palermo nothing of it is to be discovered at all). Instead, a kind of road tax is demanded. However, the levy has the same goal: In Germany, the minimized speed is supposed to deter traffic, in Italy this is supposed to be achieved with the compulsory levy. No wonder, by the way: faster than 10 km/h was never possible in the center of Palermo during rush hour. So slowly, it seems, things are actually getting better.
Who wants to know: After one week there is chaos.
The protection zone should have been set up months ago, but the project was delayed again and again. And one week after the start of the project, chaos reigns. Several business people within the protected zone are complaining and demonstrating because of a lack of customers and the threat of bankruptcies, hotels are complaining about the uncertainty of tourists and numerous residents of the “restricted area” actually feel “literally locked in” since October 10. The city administration has provided a lot of assistance. However, they are not all working yet.
Passing permits are also available via the Internet.
If you live within the zone called Ztl, you have to buy a permit for your vehicle, if you want to continue using it, either at a responsible authority or at the automobile club ACI, comparable to the German ADAC. Such a permit can also be purchased over the Internet. It costs 90 or 80 euros for a year, 50 euros for six months and 5 euros for a day. If you live outside the zone but want to enter the center, you pay 100 euros for an annual permit, 20 euros for a month, 50 euros for half a year and 5 euros for a day. Passes are also available for buses, here for an annual concession must be paid significantly more, namely 600 euros (monthly concession 120 euros, half-year ticket 300, day ticket 30 euros). Free are electric vehicles and particularly low-emission automobiles and disabled people.
Italian deception.
While in Germany “traffic-calmed zones” are defined in the literal sense by speed limits, in Italy such zones (in Milan, Florence, Verona, Rome or Bari) are a sham. A speed limit is at least not in the foreground (and in Palermo nothing of it is to be discovered at all). Instead, a kind of road tax is demanded. However, the levy has the same goal: In Germany, the minimized speed is supposed to deter traffic, in Italy this is supposed to be achieved with the compulsory levy. No wonder, by the way: faster than 10 km/h was never possible in the center of Palermo during rush hour. So slowly it becomes apparently actually better.
Who wants to know the new road traffic regulations for Palermo exactly: http://www.palermoviva.it/palermo-ztl-le-zone-a-traffico-limitato/
Info-graphic: Giornale di Sicilia (gds.it)