No to possible cuts on the Passante di Bologna. The mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, excludes them, inviting “the Government and Autostrade to maintain the commitments made” on the public work awaited for years – and accompanied by a trail of controversies and protests – and “on other compensatory works”. And he invites us to “hurry up on construction sites”.
At Palazzo Malvezzi Lepore presented a document approved almost unanimously. The focus, decided with the other mayors of the province. A large part of the 2023 budget surplus will go to the maintenance of provincial roads. This is 11 million euros which for the next three years, i.e. until the end of the mandate, will be used for this purpose.
But at the same time Lepore, together with almost all the other mayors of Bologna, underlines that “there are other institutional subjects called to play their part and whose collaboration is required. This is sometimes positive but there is no shortage of critical issues”, we read in the mayors’ document. A move “transversal” to political affiliations, underlines Lepore, noting the involvement of “centre-right and civic” mayors. However, unanimity was lacking: he voted against Alessandro Santoni (San Benedetto Val di Sambro) and there were three abstentions.
Respect investments in Bologna
“As mayors we feel the need to say that investments and commitments in Bologna must be respected”, declares Lepore. Meanwhile, there is the issue of road maintenance: 20 million a year would be needed but five million come from the State”, says the mayor. Hence the decision to beg with resources from Palazzo Malvezzi: first of all because “we are aware that 2023 is It has been a difficult year” on the maintenance front, given that “we had to concentrate on the flood and leave aside numerous roads and therefore it is clear that there is a delay to make up for”. This “we will do in both the centre-right and centre-left. It is a bipartisan objective even if there are elections because the metropolitan city does not look at political color”, assures Lepore, however “it is important that signals are also given at a national and regional level. We are committed to doing more but we ask others to do the same”
An additional effort that Lepore and the other mayors of the Bologna area ask “in a bipartisan way” and “first of all from the MIT for everything concerning the ordinary planning of interventions on infrastructures”. But the mayors also call the Emilia-Romagna Region into question, asking for “greater commitment” on various issues ranging from the single ticket to the metropolitan railway service, through the resources allocated to local public transport and connections to health facilities.
In short, given that the mandate of governor Stefano Bonaccini will soon end, “we hand over to the current and next regional government the fact that on public transport, by rail and by road – states Lepore – the Region must rethink its strategy in a of greater support to local communities, because there are new needs to be carried out especially as long as the national fund is without resources”. For example, “school transport buses are a priority: before financing other things, this must be financed”, the mayor says.
Disservices for commuters
At the same time, “we ask the Government to raise its voice with RFI and the Railways because for commuters there are too many inefficiencies and investments that delay”, continues Lepore. But the list of entities included in the document is long given that Fer, Trenitalia Tper, Tper, Autostrade and Anas are also requested. From all these subjects “we want the facts”, Lepore punches: “We want the resources and we want the projects discussed and approved to be realised”. The mayors’ speech aims to improve “the work of analysis and interlocution with other bodies – declares the metropolitan delegate to the Plain, Sara Accorsi – for a close dialogue also on the timing and impact of the projects”.
