ITALY: SUNDAY DRIVING BAN COMES INTO EFFECT AS ITALY FACES WINTER OF AUSTERITY.

Record ID: 566019

  • Title: ITALY: SUNDAY DRIVING BAN COMES INTO EFFECT AS ITALY FACES WINTER OF AUSTERITY.
  • Date: 2nd December 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Cyclists around Colosseum (2 shots) 0.10 2. SV PAN Couples walking and people in horse drawn carriages (3 shots) 0.32 3. SV & CU Prime Minister walking to work (2 shots) 0.43 4. SV PAN Wedding couple getting onto bus 0.58 5. SV Cars being pulled and pushed along road by demonstrators (3 shots) 1.17 6. SV PAN Riot police towards demonstrators' cars (2 shots) 1.28 7. SV PAN FROM Demonstrators and cars TO riot police 1.34 8. SV Riot police controlling demonstrators (2 shots) 1.39 9. GV PAN Football fans in coaches (3 shots) 2.02 Initials BB/0207 TM/PN/BB/0230 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th December 1973 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVADLQY1JGIF26RX46G5RNKN8DYJ
  • Story Text: Italy adopted a series of harsh fuel-saving measures on Sunday (2 December), including a Sunday driving ban and the early closing of shops, restaurants and cinemas.

    The restrictions -- the stiffest imposed by any European country since the Arab oil cut-of -- are expected to cause a ???adical change in the daily life-style of millions of Italians.

    Within a few minutes of the driving ban coming into force at midnight on Saturday, streets in Rome were deserted, The government hopes to save 10-million gallons (45-million litres) of petrol on the first Sunday alone.

    The Italian Prime Minister, Signor Mariano Rumor, set the example by walking to work. Cyclists had a field day at such traditionally traffic-clogged points as the Colosseum roundabout.

    Rome's rent-car drivers, staged a protest demonstration against the Sunday driving ban by pushing their cars into the city, watched by riot police.

    Football fans had to rely on public transport to get to the regular Sunday matches. Every available bus and coach was put onto the roads to ferry them to the grounds, but attendance figures were expected to drop considerably.

    The government measures will result in more than saving petrol -- an average of 28 people are killed on Italian roads every Sunday.
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