CATANIA – First day in Catania for the pedestrian area of Piazza Federico di Svevia and the new road plan of the streets adjacent to the Ursino Castle, the medieval Federician manor which on this third Sunday of June presented itself to tourists finally free from the traffic belt cars parked or in transit. The area was patrolled by the municipal police who prevented cars from entering the area closed to traffic and parking. In the morning it was also necessary to remove some cars left parked in the pedestrian area with a tow truck.
Mayor Enrico Trantino this morning went near Castello Ursino for a further check on the state of the places and met, once again, with some residents and traders who urged the mayor on problems related above all to car parking . This evening he held a concert with artists from Catania who offered their artistic performance for free. Trantino announced that other events will also take place to make the area increasingly popular.
“It is clear to everyone – said the mayor – that pedestrianization is an operation of capital importance to enhance our history for a new city economy based on the value of the art and beauty of our cultural history, which will have a period of gestation which will help us understand how to find the most suitable solutions, as has already happened in Via Garibaldi, Piazza Mazzini and Piazza San Francesco D’Assisi. I want to remind everyone that until yesterday, in this symbol of our history and identity, wild parking and disregard for every rule of safe driving reigned supreme. The pedestrianization of Piazza Federico di Svevia must be experienced as an added value for the city, for those who live there and for the operators and I am sure that, as happened in all pedestrian areas, in the end there is always a positive return. We will have the entire summer period to make a complete assessment and identify any corrective measures to be made.”
To make it easier to use the vast pedestrian area of Piazza Federico di Svevia, two zones have been established: one with a ban on traffic and parking 24 hours a day and another with a closure to traffic limited to the evening hours and night on weekdays, for the whole day only on holidays and Sundays. The municipal administration has reserved approximately 400 parking spaces in the surrounding areas (via Zurria, piazza Borsellino, via Plebiscito, piazza Vaccarini and the area made available by the Port Authority with 145 additional spaces). Furthermore, the Amts will guarantee a shuttle bus in the evening hours to connect the R1 car park in via Plebiscito and the neighboring Piazza Vaccarini (79 stalls) with Piazza Federico di Svevia.
Furthermore, by order of the Trantino council, the activation of telematic access control with cameras will take place with the installation of eight electronic gates, with the actual imposition of sanctions with the aid of videos, however, only starting from 16 July ; in this first month of pre-exercise the presence of the municipal police will be constant. In the temporary pedestrian area, i.e. active only at night, there are also around a hundred parking stalls: from 7pm to 7am on weekdays and 0-24 on holidays, parking stalls reserved for residents only; From 7am to 7pm on weekdays, hourly parking limited to 30 minutes (time disc) is established for all vehicles with the exception of the vehicles of residents who display their pass.
The Azienda Metropolitana Trasporti e Sosta Catania SpA is entrusted with the service of issuing entry passes within the areas to those entitled, which will take place exclusively through an online procedure on a web platform. Furthermore, in the event of transit due to urgent and unplannable needs of those not entitled, there is the possibility of regularizing access by sending, within 48 hours following passage through the pedestrian area, to the email address: [email protected] or by accessing the Amts web platform.
