VIAREGGIO. The new blue stalls that have been built in Viale Buonarroti and in the internal streets of the Città Giardino district have opened a rather heated discussion. The residents are in favour, from whom the request began to find a solution to the wild parking which – especially in summer – was the order of the day also considering the long works for the Terrazza della Repubblica, following which there were no part of the stalls on the same Terrace are more available. With an increase in the problem, it stops especially for those who come to the seaside from outside.
Maurizio Palmerini, owner of the newsstand on the corner of via Buonarroti and via Marco Polo, has registered more than one complaint about the construction of the new blue stalls: «People are protesting – he says – also about the increase in the daily rate, which has gone from 8 to 12 euros (only on the Walk, ed) and for the definition of different areas within a radius of a few meters, with rates that vary and which especially put tourists in difficulty. Several fines were also issued by the municipal police for those who parked, even with a coupon, in different spaces.”
Marco Salerni, of the real estate agency of the same name, has to verify what the consequences of this new development on via Buonarroti will be: «Until now only on weekends they parked on the street. Now that we are in the middle of summer they will probably also do it during the week, when the tourists arrive and we will see the effect. There is no doubt that the additional presence of blue stalls is an income for the city. Which were requested by the residents.”
Not all those who live in condominiums have a parking space, says Luca Merlini, a resident of the area: «And in the summer they found themselves dealing with cars that remained parked for 15 days and up to a month by those who rented a house in the area for vacation. Taking away parking spaces from residents. That now they are happy.”
In the streets between the condominiums there are also some white spaces left without payment, but they are always occupied. Gabriele Pera, from the Gabriele bakery in via Buonarroti, urges – as does the owner of the nearby fruit and vegetable shop – the creation of stalls for unloading goods: «We have already requested it from the Municipality, but until now no one has taken steps to track them . We trust that the request will be taken into consideration, because it is important for us who have to work.”
The person who came across this news, which she wasn’t expecting, is Paola Sagramoni, from Massarosa: «I have now booked the bathroom on the Terrazza della Repubblica and as a non-resident I am forced to pay 50 euros a month, while in Lido di Camaiore I would have paid 35 euros. If I had known I would have gone there, to the seaside. With a little girl I absolutely have to use the car that I could park in the outdoor spaces of the condominiums, which were free until recently and which have now become paid for.”
Alessandro Vietina, of the Q8 petrol station in via Buonarroti, expects the flowerbeds along the road (and also the petrol station itself) to be stormed by parked cars: «Already in past summers and on Sundays there are cars everywhere, and it’s also for security reasons which I will inform the municipal police. In fact, in case of danger, there are petrol pumps nearby. Furthermore, the road has also narrowed in certain places, with the new blue spaces. Another aspect not to be underestimated are the costs of parking in the city, compared for example to Florence, where you can park all day near the tram for 1 euro. People, especially tourists, would have hoped for something that could encourage their presence. And instead, there are always increasing costs.”
