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| Ecopass program aims at reducing traffic congestion and pollution in the city centre (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
City of Milan – Winner of the 2014 Transport Achievement Award (International Transport Forum, May 2014)
Also discussed here: City of Milan wins prestigious transport award (talya.enriquez, Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Trasnport (SloCaT), 20 May 2014)
Today we review an award to the City of Milan for its successful
implementation of a road pricing system in 2012 in its core urban area
which resulted in 28% less traffic congestion, significantly less
vehicle emissions (CO2 -35%, NOx
-18%, PM10 -18%) as well as 10 M Euros/yr for improving alternative
transportation modes, such as public transit and bike sharing. A key
aspect for this project was the degree of public consultation which
produced almost 80% positive support from the public for congestion charging
at the onset, a much higher level than what was seen in other cities
with congestion pricing schemes such as London, Stockholm and New York City.
Key Quotes:
“it was concern for the levels of pollution (rather than congestion) that initially led to the introduction of the ‘Ecopass’ scheme in 2008….. the scheme was upgraded to a congestion charge in 2012, following the results of a city-wide referendum in which 79.1% of voters demanded both an upgrade and an extension of the Ecopass area.. the new city administration has recently implemented a monitoring system for Black Carbon, a new PM metric that is more suitable to prove the effectiveness of traffic restrictions.”
“Milan therefore is the only city which can boast two types of road pricing measures, pollution charge and congestion charge, making Milan a reference point for those cities aiming to implement solutions for sustainable mobility and traffic regulation policies.”
“Area C is the restricted traffic zone in the Milan's center. The area subject to the congestion charge is called Cerchia dei Bastioni, a Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) of 8.2km2… The access is limited on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7.30 to 19.30, and Thursday from 7.30 to 18. Cars entering Area C are detected by a system of 43 electronic gates”
“The overall goals of the Area C are:
- Decreasing vehicular access to the Area C;
- decreasing traffic congestion;
- reducing travelling time of private transport;
- improving public transport networks;
- decreasing the demand for public space occupation for on-street parking;
- reducing road accidents;
- reducing pollutant emissions caused by traffic; reducing the health risk related to the air pollution;
- increasing the share of sustainable modes of travel;
- improving the quality and the attractiveness of the urban center;
- raising funds for the development of soft mobility infrastructures: cycle lanes, pedestrian zones, 30kph zones.”
"Some achievements:
- Decreasing traffic congestion: -28%
- Reducing pollutant emissions caused by traffic; Less emissions of pollutants: Total PM10 -18% ; Exhaust PM10 -10%; Ammonia -42%; Nitrogen Oxides -18%; Carbon Dioxide -35%
- Reducing the health risk related to the air pollution: Less Black Carbon (BC): -52% (Sept 2013) and -32% (Oct 2013) of BC concentration inside Area C compared to the outside Area C stations
- Raising funds for the development of soft mobility infrastructures: cycle lanes, pedestrian zones, 30kph zones:..incomes from Area C have been reinvested in projects for sustainable mobility: 10 million € for the strengthening of public transport in order to improve its frequency and 3 million € for the development of 2nd phase of bike-sharing system.”
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