Italian Cities Temporarily Ban Cars To Cut Pollution Levels

[hatrack]

ROME — "People in Rome, Milan and other Italian cities on Sunday got around on public transportation, bicycles, on foot and even on horseback as car traffic was banned for several hours to lower air-pollution levels.

In Rome and Milan, however, fans going to the stadiums to watch soccer games were to be exempted from the ban, provided they could show a ticket if required.

In Rome, the ban started at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT), with Romans and tourists alike taking advantage of a sunny day and lack of traffic for walks, bike or horseback rides. The restriction, originally scheduled to last eight hours, eventually was cut to five hours.

In Milan, the country's financial capital, the ban went from 9 a.m. (0800GMT) to midday and then was to resume from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (1400 to 1700GMT). Smaller cities such as Brescia, Bergamo and Como also adopted similar bans."

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6937

[htuttle]

1. Wonder if they allowed Vespas during that time?

The older two-cycle ones are dirtier than most buses, but the newer four-cycle ones are very clean compared to any four wheeler.

[happyslug]

2. Motor-bikes were a permitted use.

http://www.zapworld.com/about/news/watch_romepollution.asp

[mhr]

3. The Go One - What Every Trendy Italian Needs Now

http://www.go-one.de/ukindex.shtml

[happyslug]

5. 9500 EUROS?? (That is almost $13,000, They are Cars cheaper than than

Just a comment, but I have looked at these, here are some other HPV:
http://www.velomobiles.net/
http://www.berkut-trikes.com/

[mhr]

6. Add All These To Your List For Review

http://www.catrike.com/
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/
http://www.hellbentcycles.com/
http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/
http://www.wizwheelz.com/
http://www.trisled.com.au/
http://www.logo-us.com/
http://www.mrrecumbenttrikes.com/

[happyslug]

7. I have been tempted to try a recumbent

But I live in Johnstown Pennsylvania, right between Chestnut Ridge and Allegheny Mountain. Now people out West look down on the lowly Appalachians but they are high enough to be a factor in selecting a bike. The one area a Recumbent is INFERIOR to a conventional bike is hill climbing. In Western Pa you sooner or later have to climb a hill The chief reason for this is the Old Pennsylvania Railroad made an effort to buy out all the river Valleys so that they were NO competing highways to its Railroad. To get around this restriction most Pennsylvanian roads built before 1920 had to go up and over hills just to connect two towns on the same river. Pennsylvania Department of Highways (Now Penndot) try to solve this problem by building new highways, but along the old roads up and down the hill sides. Thus a lot of roads go up and down hills. The rails to trails movement is correcting this problem by converting old abandoned tracks to trails, but you still have the problem of going up and down hills no mater where you go in Western Pa.

Thus I keep on looking at recumbent, probably will buy one someday but only after some of the trails are done through the Mountains so I do have have to lose to much time pushing my bike up a hill.

[mhr]

8. While I Am Told That Trike Recumbents Do Climb Slower

Than conventional bikes, I have also seen pictures where the trike rider is fat, dumb and happy going up very steep hills.

With the right gearing there is no reason for the trike rider to dismount at all.

I would recommend a couple of BBs where you can post this question and get informed answers.

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/forumdisplay.php?f=13
http://p216.ezboard.com/fcatrikefrm2

[happyslug]

4. The Guardian has a better article on the ban:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0%2C11319%2C643747%2C00.html