Italy campaigning against approval of the new Road Traffic Code

ITALY. APPROVAL OF THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC CODE “MUST BE PUT ON HOLD”, SAY RELATIVES OF ROAD TRAFFIC VICTIMS: “LET’S REWRITE IT TOGETHER”

In an emotional video appeal, Italian associations of road victims’ families express their deep concern for the impacts of Minister Salvini’s reform.

Rome, March 18, 2024 – Relatives of road victims have appealed to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to stop the approval of the new Road Traffic Code. The reform, sponsored by Transport Minister and Lega party leader Matteo Salvini, is being discussed and voted on by the Chamber of Deputies this week.

Families of road victims offered Meloni and her government to rewrite together the parts of the law that go in the opposite direction of greater road safety for all road users.

LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO VERTICAL / HORIZONTAL WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES: https://we.tl/t-7HrBFTLa4a 

LINK TO SEE THE ENGLISH VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/924583928?share=copy 

The request is contained in a video sent last week to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, featuring Marco Scarponi, brother of Michele Scarponi, world famous professional cyclist who was hit and killed by a truck driver in 2017; Angela Bedoni, mother of Lucia Pozzi, who was hit and killed by an SUV driver on Christmas night 2004; and Emanuela Bottardi, daughter of Anna Milanesi, killed in 2008 in a by an SUV driver who hit her car while overtaking illegally before an intersection. 

All these personal tragedies have one element in common: if motor vehicles travelled at slower speeds, many lives would be saved. 

According to mobility and road safety experts, the new Road Traffic Code significantly worsens road safety conditions, making controls more difficult, paving the way for higher speed limits, limiting pedestrian and cycling mobility. The new code contains only a few norms that might improve road safety, such as making alcolock devices compulsory and harsher sanctions for driving under the influence of drugs. However, road collisions linked to abuse of drugs or alcohol account for just 5% of the total.

In Italy road collisions claim over 3,000 lives every single year. 73% of all road collisions happen in cities, which is why many Italian mayors have been spearheading changes in urban mobility systems, promoting walking and cycling, and reducing access and the average speed of motor vehicles in dense urban areas. The new Road Code will effectively prevent mayors from implementing new cycling infrastructure, installing speed cameras on roads with speed limits below 50km/h, and barring access to certain streets or parts of the city to most categories of vehicles. 

The video featuring relatives of road victims has been sent to PM Meloni through a mailbombing that involved more than 10.000 people: www.codicedellastrage.it 

The video follows the appeal (https://bit.ly/appellofamiliari) that all 16 Italian associations of road victims’ families had released just a month ago, where – they wrote – “we recommend that the measures under discussion, such as the reform of the road code and the ministerial decree on speed cameras, do not weaken but indeed strengthen the possibilities for reducing speed, electronic speed controls and distraction, limited traffic zones, means and interventions in favour of sustainable mobility”. Appeal that – however – has not yet been heard by the Government nor by Parliament.

“We wanted to address directly Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, as the highest representative of the Italian Government, so that she understands first hand the risks and responsibility of the bill that Parliament seems intent on voting on, asking her to make a direct intervention. Specifically, we ask President Meloni to open a technical discussion table where – starting from our stories – a single criterion should guide the rewriting of the Code: the protection of human life, the only thing that guides us in action” declared Stefano Guarneri (Lorenzo Guarnieri Onlus Association), Filippo Randi (European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (https://fevr.org/) and Italian Association of Road Victims’ Families APS, and Marco Scarponi (general secretary of the Michele Scarponi Foundation). “Not only the new road code – continued Guarneri, Randi, and Scarponi – but also the Autovelox Decree scheme seem to compose a picture where the interest of the Ministry of Transport goes in the opposite direction to the protection of life on the road and the protection of vulnerable users: there is still time to intervene, if President Meloni intends to save human lives”.

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QUICK FACTS ANNEX

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ITALY WITH THE REVISION OF THE TRAFFIC CODE?

Data for 2022

• 23% of cases of fatal accidents in Italy are due to high speed;
• 3,159 total deaths in road accidents (9 percent higher compared to 2021);
• 53 deaths in road accidents per million inhabitants (EU average: 46 deaths/million inhabitants);
• 73% of accidents in Italy occur on urban roads;
• 94% of accidents due to drivers of motor vehicles;

Sources: ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics), ACI (Automobile Club d’Italia), European Commission

Olbia City 30

June 2021: the city of Olbia in Sardinia (nearly 59,000 inhabitants) became the first Italian

municipality to introduce the 30 km per hour limit throughout its territory.

Mayor Settimo Nizzi from the centre-right coalition explains to citizens that “the provision has a twofold purpose: increasing safety for people while at the same time delivering a new concept of sustainable urban mobility. It is a choice in line with important cities in Europe and another step forward to make our city increasingly beautiful, accessible and citizen friendly.”

Sources : https://www.comune.olbia.ot.it/it/news/olbia-citta-a-30-km-orari-dal-1-giugno-per-una-citt

Bologna City 30

July 1, 2023: the Mayor of Bologna sends a letter to the citizens announcing that Bologna becomes a “City 30”. The maximum speed limit on all urban roads will change from 50 to 30 kilometres per hour, with the exception of main thoroughfares where it remains at 50 kilometres per hour. There will be no fines during this transition phase until the end of the year, to make the change gradual and allow for an adequate period of information and comparison.

January 1, 2024: Bologna is officially a “City 30”, the first major City 30 in Italy. New regulations on maximum speed limits on urban roads and the possibility of fines for non-compliance come into effect.

Sources : https://www.bolognacitta30.it/

THE NEW TRAFFIC CODE

March 13, 2024: the Chamber of Representatives starts discussing the bill on the reform of the Traffic Code

Critical issues:

• LESS AUTONOMY FOR CITIES: limitations on the autonomy of local governments when installing speed detection devices, ZTL (Limited Traffic Zones), bike lanes.

• (NON-SEGREGATED) BIKE LANES: restricted to only those cases where bike lanes cannot be built (with evaluation by the Ministry rather than the city planner); the dual road type for exclusive and mixed use will not be possible anymore, the bike lanes location will only be possible on the right.  

• BIKE BOXES AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS: they will be possible only when there is already a bicycle lane and a single-lane road.

• TWO-WAY BIKE LANES: the European clause according to which they could be possible “regardless of roadway width, presence of parking spaces, mass of vehicles,” is removed. Moreover, motorists do not have to give right of way to bikes.

• BIKE ROADS: road markings advertising 30 K/H speed limit or the presence of bike lanes on the road are not compulsory anymore. The obligation for motorists to give right of way to cyclists is replaced by a generic and inapplicable obligation to “pay attention”.

•  ZTL (Limited Traffic Zones and LEZ): ZTL are no longer considered also as a general tool to reduce congestion, traffic, accidents, noise, space occupied by cars. They will only be possible when there are high levels of pollution.

• SPEED ENFORCEMENT: the speed cameras will be banned below 50 per hour in cities, on urban roads, and on suburban roads below 90 per hour. Local governments will have to justify, on a case-by-case basis, the decision to introduce limits below 50 kilometres per hour in urban areas.

• FINES: it will be possible to violate speed limits even multiple times by receiving only a single fine every hour instead of one for each infringement.

The response of associations and experts

#STOPcodicedellastrage

In response to the New Traffic Code, which jeopardizes road safety, sustainable mobility, the autonomy of cities, and the realization of “City 30” in Italy, many civil associations have networked, joined forces and organized from 9^th-12^th March throughout Italy physical and digital mobilization under the name: “Stop the Street Code”.

The results of the mobilization so far:

• 40 cities and 2038  participants: Aosta, Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Perugia, Rome, Trieste, Turin, Ascoli Piceno, Bresso, Chieri, Domodossola, Fano, Ferrara, Jesi, Lecce, Lecco, Lodi, Modena, Monza, Olbia, Padova, Parma, Perugia, Pesaro, Pomigliano d’Arco, Pordenone, Reggio Emilia, Teramo, Trento, Treviso, Udine.
• Open letter to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport from +350 mobility experts and technicians, urban planners, and architects.
• Letter to the President of Council Giorgia Meloni from 30 European civil society organizations.

#StopCodicedellaStrage is a mobilization promoted by the associations of road traffic

victims’ families and the #Città30Subito platform with the support of lots of organizations and activists from all over Italy.