New rules are key part of Florence’s sustainable tourism plan.
Florence is to ban golf carts, rickshaws, and “other atypical vehicles” used by tourists in the UNESCO area of the Tuscan capital, the city council said on Monday.
The move is part of tourist transport regulations, which will soon be approved by the municipal council, to regulate tourist transport in the historic centre with specific rules.
The regulation, prepared by the city’s tourism and mobility departments, will be approved in consultation with the Tuscan region under Article 91 of the regional tourism law.
In a statement, the city said the move was in an effort to tackle the tourist transport sector which has seen “a proliferation of different types of vehicles in recent years”.
Tourist transportation using atypical vehicles will be prohibited throughout the UNESCO site, with the exception of electric tourist shuttles – a maximum of 24 – under strict conditions.
The city said the tourist shuttle was chosen because, by ministerial decree, it is “the only vehicle that can travel on pre-established routes subject to authorisation from the municipal administration” as well as meeting safety guarantees as required by the Highway Code.
Florence tourism councillor Jacopo Vicini described the move as among the most important in “our 10 commandments for sustainable tourism and a livable city”, a raft of measures unveiled last November under mayor Sara Funaro.
Vicini said the regulation would establish “clear rules, clear routes”, along with heavy penalties which, “if repeated multiple times, can even lead to the withdrawal of the authorisation or the confiscation of the vehicle if the service is operated by illegal workers.”
Mobility councillor Andrea Giorgio said Florence is the first tourist city in Italy to adopt such a regulation for its historic centre, underlined the three main aims: road safety, to reduce traffic in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and decorum.
“We decided to intervene because the situation in the city had become unsustainable, with hundreds of golf carts parked on every street and in every square in the historic centre”, Giorgio said, adding that tour buses will be able to pick up and drop off groups at Piazzale Vittorio Veneto and Piazzale Michelangelo.
Municipal police will carry out checks and will seize any banned vehicle if found in the city centre, while those with a permit but operating illegally will have their permit revoked and be handed a €500 fine.
For full details see Florence city website. Photo credit: Bernd Rehorst / Shutterstock.com.
