The elections are approaching, with the dates of 8 and 9 June circled in red on the calendar of every Modenese. Our itinerary continues through the neighborhoods of Modena, to grasp the situations that worry citizens and the proposals to improve the city in view of the administrative elections. In recent days we crossed the Maserati bridge to interview the residents of Crocetta, an area born as the first working-class district of Modena but which in the last decade has seen a series of interventions that have made it a highly sought-after neighborhood, both for its proximity in the center and for the improved environmental conditions, from parks to new buildings. The hot topics at the center of the debate concern roads, new waste separation and safety, and there is also a lot of discussion in the neighborhood regarding these three problems: “Safety has improved in the neighborhood in recent years, a sign that the Municipality has intervened – said Claudia Savioli – The problem remains partly the road system, especially at the level of via Nonantolana and the Maserati bridge which terribly congest traffic during rush hours; as regards separate waste collection, there is little to say: I would gladly return to the old method with the bins”. The road issue also worries Elvira Baldaccini, who is used to traveling by public transport to go to work: “I don’t feel very comfortable taking the bus, both due to the overcrowding of the vehicles and the length of the itineraries, which in this area are due to the traffic they become very long. In terms of safety, however, I continue to say that there is a lot to do: personally I never go out alone in the neighborhood in the evening because I’m afraid, after bad episodes have happened to me over the years in which I felt in danger due to some baby gangs”.
Moving towards the new houses, in via Repubblica di Montefiorino, the problem that causes the most concern concerns the future of the enormous buildings now vacant: “I have lived in the neighborhood for 40 years and I have seen a notable general improvement, of which I am happy – comments Sergio Vandolfi – We are concerned about the management of the buildings, which have dozens of vacant apartments inside: at the moment, episodes of drug dealing and degradation have been reported down there, and we hope that perhaps they can be allocated to families to improve the liveability of the area recycling, however, I am happy with the new door-to-door method but unfortunately the incivility of some people is tangible: they leave the bags out at the wrong times and for this reason there is waste in the middle of the street”.
Giulia and Elena Giovanardi are sisters and live close together in via Mar Ligure: both underline how the Municipality can do more in terms of roads, especially in terms of cycle paths, to connect the neighborhood to the city centre: “The big Achilles’ heel of our area – explains Elena – is the lack of connections with the center: we are forced to take the car or go on the overpass there is a cycle path along the Santa Caterina road that connects it with the underpass, so we have to do some sections against traffic. especially with children, they become dangerous. As for recycling, I would say it works well, I only complain about people who don’t respect the times.” “In terms of traffic, we have also made reports of cars speeding along Santa Caterina street at prohibitive speeds – echoes sister Giulia – Speed bumps or a speed camera should be installed”. For Dario Belmonte, however, the priority concerns the issue of safety: “Although I love my neighborhood, sometimes we feel isolated from the center and left alone: I would like to see patrols, even on bicycles, that occasionally patrol the area, but this does not it never happens and we feel abandoned to ourselves. In the evening, having small children, I don’t feel safe going around alone and it would be enough to see more checks by the police to be calm.”
