Rome bans all diesel cars in battle to curb pollution

 

Cars are seen in a traffic jam in Rome, December 23, 2019. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

 

ROME (Reuters) - Rome banned all diesel vehicles from its roads for the first time on Tuesday to try to combat rising pollution, with numerous other cities in central and northern Italy also imposing curbs to cut harmful emissions.

 

A prolonged period of sunny weather with no rain and little wind has triggered dozens of smog alerts across the country.

 

Rome city council banned diesel cars, vans and motorbikes during peak hours on Tuesday, with the worst polluting vehicles barred from the streets from dawn to dusk.

 

The local transport authority said the order would affect around one million vehicles, angering oil companies, who accused the city council of over-reacting.

 

Italy has a permitted limit for fine particle pollution (PM10) of 50 micrograms per cubic meter. Some areas of Rome have exceeded that level - above which air quality is considered a potential health hazard - in 10 of the last 12 days.

 

Pollution levels have also risen sharply in a string of other cities, including Milan, Turin, Florence, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, forcing local authorities there also to restrict drivers.

 

However, Rome was the only city to outlaw all diesel vehicles, drawing the ire of the Italian association of oil companies.

 

"This appears to be a totally unjustified decision from a scientific point of view, which offers no environmental advantage and therefore unnecessarily penalizes a wide range of citizens," it said in a statement.

 

By contrast, environmental group Legambiente accused Rome of dragging its feet.

 

"This decision was incredibly delayed. The city council is only banning diesel following 10 days of poisoned air," it said in a statement.

 

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-15

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Elon will no doubt gravitate to lending the mayor an electric car, and offer the pope a new electric Tesla, an opportunity not to be missed.

45 minutes ago, leeneeds said:

Elon will no doubt gravitate to lending the mayor an electric car, and offer the pope a new electric Tesla, an opportunity not to be missed.

In that case, lets hope they don't generate electricity with fossil fuelled power stations.

 

Why stop at diesel- ban all private cars using oil based fuel. That'd improve any city.

22 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In that case, lets hope they don't generate electricity with fossil fuelled power stations.

 

Why stop at diesel- ban all private cars using oil based fuel. That'd improve any city.

Its coming we are on the cusp of the tipping point I feel,

27 minutes ago, leeneeds said:

Its coming we are on the cusp of the tipping point I feel,

Cars in cities are a plague. It's long past time to ban all private cars, in cities.

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Cars in cities are a plague. It's long past time to ban all private cars, in cities.

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

How will public transport cope??

6 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

How will public transport cope??

More public transport will. Without the tube, London is at a standstill.

 

What freedom or choice? Freedom to pollute ourselves to death? Choice to sit in a traffic jam wasting petrol?

Cars don't work in cities- it's time to do something different.

Edited January 15, 20206 yr by thaibeachlovers

15 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

How will public transport cope??

Works fine in Tokyo, with 30 plus million people.

I'd like to see a week long trial in Bangkok. Ban all private cars and only allow motorbikes and buses/emergency vehicles into Central Bangkok for 7 days.

 

Watch the congestion, parking issues and 90% of the smog disappear (the 10% would still come from the 40 year old buses).

 

Long term, replace the old dirty buses with hundreds of clean modern versions (electric?) and limit the motorbikes to anything under 200cc. Tax breaks for electric assist bicycles. No private cars allowed all year round. Additional carriages and reduced fares on the BTS.

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

I'd like to see a week long trial in Bangkok. Ban all private cars and only allow motorbikes and buses/emergency vehicles into Central Bangkok for 7 days.

 

Watch the congestion, parking issues and 90% of the smog disappear (the 10% would still come from the 40 year old buses).

 

Long term, replace the old dirty buses with hundreds of clean modern versions (electric?) and limit the motorbikes to anything under 200cc. Tax breaks for electric assist bicycles. No private cars allowed all year round. Additional carriages and reduced fares on the BTS.

I am sure private cars are a big part of the polution problem in Bangkok. Vehicles are not the only problem though. The main cause of bad air quality in my immidiate area are the charcoal burners, barbecue stalls and rubbish burning. Quite suprising how large an area one charcoal burner can blanket in smoke if there is no breeze.

How long before we are told that Electric cars are polluting the planet ,because of the power needed to fill their deadly batteries ,that the making of and the disposing of is killing us .

I remember when diesel was the answer to all our problems .

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

 

Tragedy of the commons. Look it up...

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

How will public transport cope??

Quite well actually. When the private cars are removed from the roads, there is plenty of space for other methods of travel.

 

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

That's just taking more freedom and choice away.

How will public transport cope??

The answer is in the tram: progressively reallocate space from private cars to the above ground Tram network. Within a given time frame restrict the inner city space only to electric cars.

And, then one mustn't forget that any related increase of the electrical demand must be fulfilled solely by renewal energy.

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In that case, lets hope they don't generate electricity with fossil fuelled power stations.

 

Why stop at diesel- ban all private cars using oil based fuel. That'd improve any city.

 

And ban all aircraft and ships! Yeah those Luddites knew a thing or two!

6 hours ago, webfact said:

unjustified decision from a scientific point of view,

Isn't Rome the home of the Vatican? Didn't they start making decisions for people with no scientific proof.

Still environmentalism and religion are quite close..

Edited January 15, 20206 yr by VocalNeal

6 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

And ban all aircraft and ships! Yeah those Luddites knew a thing or two!

The customary hyperbole.

 

The discussion is the impact of cars on city environments. 

 

Replacing cars with mass transport, cycle lanes, pedestrianization are proven means to improve urban environments and revive urban neighborhoods.

 

There are numerous innovative methods proven in use to achieve these ends, they are the antithesis of your trite ‘Luddite’ jibe.

10 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Isn't Rome the home of the Vatican? Didn't they start making decisions for people with no scientific proof.

Still environmentalism and religion are quite close..

You mean there’s no scientific proof that cars create pollution or that large numbers of cars in an urban environment pollute that environment?

And imagine how much better cities will look without those cars. Especially the older ones, where the streets are not designed for all that traffic.

6 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Elon will no doubt gravitate to lending the mayor an electric car, and offer the pope a new electric Tesla, an opportunity not to be missed.

But but but what if Elon gets accused of grand standing and another tit for tat ensues, followed by an international law suit.

1 hour ago, ivor bigun said:

the answer to all our problems .

will be what the Thais, the French, the English and other peoples used long ago: the ox cart, buffalo, elephant (if it exists);
more it will suffice to put a small container under the back of these animals to recover their pooh in order to use it in the vegetable garden ...

There are methods to avoid bad emissions and as everyone knows it is better to avoid evil than to cure it!

6 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

I remember when diesel was the answer to all our problems .

Diesel could be the answer,the newest diesel engines are very clean!

12 minutes ago, jvs said:

Diesel could be the answer,the newest diesel engines are very clean!

Just ask Volkswagen!

8 hours ago, neeray said:

But but but what if Elon gets accused of grand standing and another tit for tat ensues, followed by an international law suit.

Well, I for one would like to see the Pope tell Musk where to stick his Tesla.  And, given what we know about the Catholic Church, Musk's counter accusation would be rather telling too.

When I first moved to China in 1999, everyone rode bicycles, chicks had great legs, there were very few cars on the road and it took 20 minutes to get from my apartment into the center of town.  Flash forward 20 years, there's tons of cars, everyone's out of shape and it takes 30 minutes to make the same trip in the traffic.

 

22 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Cars in cities are a plague. It's long past time to ban all private cars, in cities.

Don't forget the pesky motorcycles.

Wow... Over 50aqi and it's a national emergency in Rome. 

 

Here it's over 150 every single day and people still choose to remain ignorant. 

22 hours ago, samran said:

Just ask Volkswagen!

and all other manufacturers of diesel vehicles;
VW got caught first and defended itself very badly but Renault and others did the exact same thing.
And nothing says they don't continue ..

14 hours ago, impulse said:

When I first moved to China in 1999, everyone rode bicycles, chicks had great legs, there were very few cars on the road and it took 20 minutes to get from my apartment into the center of town.  Flash forward 20 years, there's tons of cars, everyone's out of shape and it takes 30 minutes to make the same trip in the traffic.

 

I remember Beijing in july 2002 ; a very few cars , more taxis ; and official cars which was big Audi 6 & 8

many trolleybus and two wheels with or without motors 

 

 

Edited January 16, 20206 yr by Assurancetourix