Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

The traffic congestion index above pre-Covid levels. Regulated parking outside the tramway has been restored

Milan, October 9 2020 - From Thursday 15 October, Area B will be restored, the limited traffic zone surrounded by 187 gates which, by gradually and progressively prohibiting access to older vehicles responsible for the most polluting emissions, allows for the demarcation of a low-emission area harmful to health and the environment. Furthermore, regulated extra-tram parking is restored in areas 8, 25, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43. Both measures were suspended last March 12 with the adoption of extraordinary measures for the health emergency and the “lockdown”.

The decision to reactivate Area B follows the checks carried out on the evolution of traffic flows in the city. The congestion index in the week between 21 and 25 September exceeds the pre-Covid one by 2,5%. In particular, the index in the morning rush hours, between 7 and 9 am, is around two percentage points lower, while in the afternoon rush hours it is around 10% higher. Vehicle entries into the city, measured by area B cameras in the week between 28 September and 2 October 2020, are 90% of those entering in the pre-Covid weeks of January and February. Even the overall admissions to Area C in the same week are 98% of those in the pre-Covid weeks of January and February. In particular, there are 21% more residents in Area C than pre-Covid and service (commercial) traffic is 23% higher.

Sharing also highlights a situation of return to pre-Covid levels: car-sharing in the week of 28 September-2 October is 84% ​​of the pre-Covid figure. Bike sharing is 73% of what it was pre-Covid, although that was a rainy week and the previous, sunny week had seen 20% more use than the pre-Covid period. Scooter sharing, considering the same rainy week, had 2% more use than the pre-Covid figure and the previous week, without rain, 25% more than the pre-Covid figure.

As regards public transport, compared to the frequency of October 2019, in the first week of October 2020 there were approximately 765 thousand passengers on the subway, equal to 54% of the same period in 2019.

“The reactivation of Area B helps to reduce the number of the most polluting vehicles entering the city – declares Marco Granelli, Councilor for Mobility -. The date of 15 October takes into account not only the increase in congestion indices to the levels of the pre-Covid period, but also the start of the thermal season which inevitably leads to the increase in the values ​​of pollutants harmful to health. To date, public transport is able to collect additional passengers and even the interchange car parks have a filling rate of 49%".

In line with the limitations on vehicle circulation adopted by the Lombardy Region, the Municipality of Milan has also decided to postpone the entry into force of the circulation bans in Area B on vehicles registered for personal and commercial transport Euro 1 petrol (M1) and Euro 4 diesel commercial vehicles without FAP (N1, N2, N3) as of 11 January 2021.

Furthermore, to strengthen the process of awareness of the provision and in consideration of the suspension period of Area B, 50 days of dynamic circulation are granted, even non-consecutive, for each vehicle subject to the environmental prohibitions which came into force from the start of the regulation on 25 February 2019: these 50 days can be used starting from the first access to the area subject to the provision and until 30 September 2021.

We remind you that 45 gates are currently active but in the next few days the activation of another 10 is expected for a total of 55 gates.

The gates soon to be activated: Monsignor Romero, Seguro, Luraghi, Gozzoli, Lucca 1 and Lucca 2, Ciconi, Lorenteggio, Lodovico il Moro, Buccinasco.

The cameras in via Anassagora, Baroni, Basilea, Cassinis, Fantoli, Carlo Feltrinelli, Gallarate 1 and Gallarate 2, Gonin, Mecenate, Giuditta Pasta, Pirelli, Rogoredo, Sarca, Tofano, Zurich, Corelli, Camillo and Otto Cima are already active. Rubattino, Fallen of Marcinelle, Monneret de Villard, Carnia, Palmanova and Palmanova at the railway bridge height, Cambini, Clitumno, Assietta, Gabbro, Bovisasca, Oriani, Certosa 1 and Certosa 2, Bressanone, Capodistria, Montefeltro, Columella, Sesto San Giovanni, Fulvio Testi, Comboni, Senigallia 1 and Senigallia 2, Vincenzo da Seregno 1 and Vincenzo da Seregno 2, Litta Modignani, Apennines.

To find out in detail the regulations of Area B and find out about the prohibition calendars, you can consult www.comune.milano.it/areab where starting from Monday 12 October all the useful information, documents and relevant legislation will be updated. The address is also active https://areab.atm.it (the use of an updated browser is recommended) where it is possible, after registration, to verify and control the accesses made and request the exemption: it therefore allows you to manage the license plates of your vehicles through a registration of mandatory fields. Furthermore, an infopoint on the mezzanine of the Duomo station on the red line of the metro is also open to the public these days. The Area B and Area C counters are open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 15pm continuously. To receive assistance you must book and you can do so from the ATM Milano app.

Area B