Milan fights smog with car ban from Dec. 28 to 30

Milan - Milan City Council has decided to ban traffic in the days after Christmas due to excessive smog. There is no let up in sight to the weather in the city, and no rainfall is forecast over the coming days. The ban on the circulation of private vehicles runs from Dec. 28 to 30 in the hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and only in the city. This partial measure is the first of its kind by city councils. In Rome, where alternating number plates have been used so far, Special Commissioner Francesco Paolo Tronca may order a total ban on traffic from Thursday to Dec. 27 if there is no improvement in the PM10 figure. Milan saw its 28th consecutive day above the alert threshold of 50 micrograms per cubic metre, while since the beginning of the year there have been 93 days above the legal limit. Farmers' association Coldiretti has recorded 56 rain free days in the big cities of the North. With rainfall halved in November and December, it could turn out to be the driest in history. According to meteorologists, high pressure will continue over the next few days due to sun, abnormal heat, and fog on the plains, conditions that tend to lead to the stagnation of air pollutants close to ground level. Milan City Council has accompanied this decision with an extension of discounts for the use of public transport. Environmental Councillor Pierfrancesco Maran expressed the hope that a similar measure would be taken by other councils in the metropolitan area and by Lombardy region. However, the first critical noises have been heard, including from former Environmental Councillor Edoardo Croci, the "father" of the Moratti council. According to Croci, "traffic bans are for when there is traffic, otherwise they are a purely for show. A traffic ban between Christmas and Epiphany is useless. It is better to ban the most polluting diesel engines on weekdays over a wide area when traffic resumes. However, the real solution remains the enlargement of area C." President of the Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni, for his part called for "a single intervention by regions and the government," stressing the need to raise the issue at a European level, for "coordinated action" throughout the area. (AGI) .

(December 23, 2015)