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The Italian capital has applied new restrictions on car traffic for Monday and Tuesday as a way to cut down on air pollution, part of a wider national effort to keep air pollution in check.
Italy has suffered from deteriorating urban air quality for decades, indicated reports from the High Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, which is the technical wing of Italy's Ministry of Environment.
According to RomaToday, the online newspaper of Rome, and other local media, new rules allowing cities to more easily restrict traffic were put in place last year, which included lower thresholds for particulate matter (PM) - the sum of solid and liquid particles suspended in air. High PM levels in the air can cause health problems.
The latest restrictions on traffic in Rome were put in place under the new rules. Other cities in Italy are likely to take similar steps when their air quality drops below standards.
The goal is to reduce the amount of PM in the air as well as to incentivize more environmentally friendly cars, mopeds, and other vehicles that produce less pollution. Hybrid and electric vehicles, for example, are immune from the restrictions, which are in place for Rome's green zone including its historical center.
In Rome, the restrictions are in place starting at 7:30 a.m. local time. On Monday, they expired at 10:30 p.m. local time; on Tuesday they will expire two hours earlier, with some variance based on vehicle type.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
