3 January 2008

Ecopass in Milano, a starting point

From today, the most polluting cars will have to pay for a pass called Ecopass to go into the centre of Milan.
Letizia Moratti has been strongly in favour of this tax to reduce pollution and she has introduced this even against part of her own majority. The outcomes of this Pass can be evaluated in the next few months, but this measure is anyway a strong signal of a change of direction in the occupation of the city by private vehicles and thus in the emission of poisons in industrial quantities into the air. Letizia Moratti has had the courage to “do” something. This is rare in a country that is dominated by chatter. It’s possible that the measures are only partially effective, but it is a starting point.
My opinion is that in Milan, as in the other most important cities, the historical centre should be closed to private vehicles and that the use of alternating registration plates for being on the road, is a simple and effective remedy against the traffic as well as the introduction of electric public transport vehicles, including taxis as well as safe cycle tracks. But it’s necessary to start somewhere, and this is why I thank mayor Moratti for having brought in the Ecopass in Milan. It has already shown itself to be very effective in other big cities in the world, as for example in London.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society