“The initiative proposed in Germany to allow citizens to use public transport free of charge is certainly a right measure - comments Nicola Pirrone, Director of the CNR Institute on Atmospheric Pollution - let's just hope it works. This would take away from citizens the excuse of the cost of the ticket, but the economic sustainability of such a measure must be verified. Furthermore, it would take some time for people to get used to not taking their cars anymore ”.
And in Italy? “We could start with some sample cities, but compared to Germany we are behind in terms of infrastructure. I would rather divert the substantial investments necessary to carry out such an initiative there, from the metro lines to the less polluting buses ”.
Mobilitaria 2018 - Tomorrow the report on air quality and mobility of the large Italian cities will be presented: what does this survey say?
“In ten years, since 2006, there has been an improvement, but several critical issues still persist, such as the daily PM10 limits being exceeded in some cities. This is why ecological Sundays were invented, but they remain stopgap solutions”. The smog emergency has therefore not been resolved. “The structural problem has not been resolved, all it takes is a period of high pressure and the legal limits are exceeded. To combat air pollution – concludes Pirrone – we need an extraordinary plan at all levels, from local authorities to the Government, with a mix of measures, from increasing cycle paths to decarbonising heating systems, to updating means of transport. With a plan implemented in a serious and widespread manner, we will be able to see results within five years”.