Every
40 seconds, a motorist in Florence receives a traffic violation according to
figures recently released by city officials. Traffic police issue approximately
90 tickets every minute, 1,253 tickets a day.
The
fines on these tickets average out to about 140 euro per year, per motorist,
and they bring about 52 million to city hall each year, making it one of
Italy’s most heaviest fined cities. Local officials note that the amount of
money that enters the municipal budget through traffic fines has tripled in the
last 10 years.
Centre-right
councilors in Florence argue that the city issues much too many traffic
violations. ‘A city that counts some 365,000 residents, should not be issuing
traffic tickets that amount to 52 million euro. Milan in comparison issues 81
million euro in traffic fines, but it is considerably bigger than
Florence.’
Of the 859,959 traffic
violations that issued by traffic police in 2008, 457,613 were issued to
motorists who entered the limited traffic zones without the required permit;
250,415 were given to drivers who parked in no-parking zones; 22,904 were
issued for speeding; and 7,700 were given for having run a red light.
The number of drivers
found drunk has increased slightly as well. In 2008, police issued 303
drunk-driving violations, compared to 289 the previous year.
