Traffic
Venice should get speed cameras for boats
Boats in Venice will have to get used to speed cameras in the future. photo
© Luca Bruno/AP/dpa
Speeding boats will soon be allowed to be flashed in the canals of Venice. This way the channels can also be protected. But there are other reasons.
The Transport Committee of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies cleared the way for a change in the draft law on road safety on Wednesday. This also provides for the installation of speed traps on the water. It is certain that the chamber will soon approve the amended bill.
The city of Venice and its mayor Luigi Brugnaro have been campaigning for speed cameras in the canals for some time. They want to reduce the speed of motorboats and ships. The aim is to make the city safer, but it is also about protecting the canals and the lagoon surroundings. Over time, excessive wave movements cause underwater erosion on the canal walls, which also affects the old buildings along the waterways.
There has been too much traffic in the canals of Venice for many years. In addition to the water buses (vaporetti) that are typical of the lagoon city, there are also water taxis, motor boats and the gondolas that are popular with tourists. Occasionally accidents occur there. The poor condition of the building walls on the canal side is also known.