COSENZA – An accurate analysis and contribution on the traffic situation and in general on mobility in Cosenza comes from Giuseppe Lo Feudo, Partner of Sipotra, the Italian transport policy society. Lo Feudo immediately highlights that the traffic interventions carried out by the municipal administration in recent days (removal of the roundabout on Viale della Repubblica and new traffic directions) have no reliability value on the increase in traffic in recent days.
Recent changes to the road system are not the cause of the increase in traffic
“They go crazy on social media and local media – highlight various types of photos that they frame cars lined up in Cosenza as if they were breaking news images never seen before. The related controversy arises after some interventions on the road system adopted by the municipal administration of Cosenza, in some cases corrections of technical errors or other debatable errors but which certainly do not constitute the cause of the chaotic city traffic especially during rush hour. Furthermore, impromptu photos, by fixing specific moments, they have no value in terms of reliability as indicators of increases in traffic itself.
Continuous vehicular movement: the routes collapse at various points
In reality Cosenza, and more generally the urban area, absorb a continuous vehicular movementThat at least twice a day entering and exiting various routes collapse at various points Also central to vehicular traffic. Unfortunately, there is only one action, the result of synergies and coordinated interventions, which is effective in a vehicular decongestion process and consists in reducing drastic change in cars in circulation and in the transfer of citizens from individual transport to collective or shared or gentle mobility. To achieve this they need more infrastructure and more parking. In this regard, therefore, those who superficially attribute the traffic of these days to small and limited interventions on the road system should rather remember two particularly important and much more incisive circumstances in this regard.
Amaco’s default: Cosenza without LPT, recovery plan needed
The first is that Cosenza, especially after the default of AMACO there is practically no urban public transport as well as a vision and a short relaunch plan for the same. The second circumstance consists in the unexpected loss of the historic opportunity relating to the creation, after years of reflection, of a modern tram system on protected site which would have connected Savuto, the urban area and Unical with a fast, high-capacity backbone around which to design a network of supply and connection services with an interchange parking system at the access points to the area urban.
Fewer cars in the city and modern, low-impact public transport
So fewer cars in the city and more modern and low-impact public transport, more sustainable mobility and greater quality of life. In this regard, it is sufficient to analyze a recent OECD table, and simply observe the parameters adopted to measure the level of quality of life in cities. We’ll see that at least 4 items have close correlations with the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the mobility model adopted. “Quality of the environment”, “reconciliation between work and private life” “infrastructures and services”, as well as a “mobility system” pervasive and intermodal. Everyone, even on an intuitive level, is aspects that are closely connected to each other.
Strategic objectives and priority measures
So if you want to have one “vision” of a modern and attractive city, and getting away from small controversies to get to the heart of the problemthe same cannot ignore the evaluation of said parameters and be based on a city model oriented towards pursuing a higher level of quality of life by placing the following priority measures on which to strategically base administrative action:
- Drastic reduction in vehicular traffic in urban areas with coordinated policies aimed at encouraging a modal change that move citizens from private vehicles towards the use of local public transport or towards innovative methods including sharing mobility, as well as possible forms of car pooling.
- Creation of urban and suburban transport infrastructures which in a protected location allow high-capacity vehicles (tramways/BIT) to intercept, especially during rush hours, citizens at various peripheral interchange points equipped for modal change, to take them to the city center or towards the main attraction centers such as universities, stadiums, theaters etc.
- Development of digital platforms that systematize the various transport opportunities making the choice of route and mode simple and quick for citizens
- Efficiency of the urban bus service with investments also in technology and infomobility.
- Parking pricing policies aimed at discouraging private car use especially during peak time slots.
- Support and incentive policies for sharing mobility with measures to support the use of shared vehicles as well as the installation of fixed stations with pedal-assisted bikes and with
- Sharing mobility incentive complementary and integrative to Tpl to cover the gap in the so-called “last mile”.
It is mandatory to encourage the use of alternative means to the car
Decongesting cities is now almost an ethical obligation and study every possible fform of incentive to use alternative means to a private car is a must. Among the alternatives should also be included, why not, the pedestrian mobility which, in some cases duly assisted as in the case of mobility during school age, has a significant impact on weakening school traffic.
In this regard, a project launched at the time by the late Mayor Giacomo Mancini and then taken up by the Perugini administration, called “Piedibus” which included a nice accompaniment to school from some collection points of the pupils, all tightly clinging to a large and colorful rope. Important However, equip yourself with an effective programming tool because no measure can now be adopted extemporaneously but everything must be inserted into a planning framework that allows clarity of objectives and ease of control and measurement of the various performances.
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