Smog alert for Rome and Milan: Cars, motorcycles, heating restricted

MIL1
MIL1
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

One doesn’t have to look to China and Beijing for severe smog alerts – Milan and the eternal city of Rome in Italy has been reporting smog for some time.

One doesn’t have to look to China and Beijing for severe smog alerts – Milan and the eternal city of Rome in Italy has been reporting smog for some time.

It hasn’t been raining in Milan for 40 days, and thick clouds are hanging over the entire city. Consequently, Milan is covered by heavy smog and dense fog.

The air quality measured is ten times over the legal limit, and may be causing significant health effects at this time.

Specifically, people with heart or lung disease, children, and older adults should stay indoors and avoid exercise.

Even driving has its challenges. Seeing a traffic light is sometimes impossible during thick smog, and drivers often miss exit signs on the cities’ highways.

Mr. Pisapia, Mayor for the City of Milan, just issued an order that will bring traffic in this Northern Italian city to a complete standstill for 3 consecutive days on December 28, 29 and 30, 2015.

There will be no rush hours – but there will be a rush towards public transport… The good news is the special ticket “Antismog” will be available at a cost of 1.50 euro and will be valid all day on the bus, tram, and metro.

And for local railway transportation, TREN Nord and TRENI Lombardi is offering special tickets on sale now at a cost of 20 euro (a real bargain!) with unlimited travel until January 1, 2016.

However, the smog alert is not limited to the north of Italy. Smog has also hit Rome badly in the Holy Year.

For seven days in a row, car and motorcycle traffic in Rome was restricted. On one day, vehicles with odd numbers were allowed to drive, the next day only vehicles with even numbers were seen on roadways. Even with restrictions like this in place, 1.3 million cars were on the road in Italy’s capital.

Romans love their cars, and the police had something to be happy about. 6,000 cars and motorcycles were stopped on the NO DRIVE day, and the fine was 1,200.00 euro each or US$1,350.00

In addition to limiting cars on the roads, authorities also put restrictions on using the heating system – 18 Celsius, and only 8 hours a day is the limit for offices, private homes, or apartments or hotel rooms.

If you are planning to be in Rome between Christmas and New Year’s, make sure to bring warm clothes.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

Share to...