Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore said Wednesday that the 30 km/h speed limit his administration has imposed on the city will not be halted by a ruling against it by the Emilia-Romagna regional administrative court (TAR) following an appeal by taxi drivers.

Bologna introduced a 30 km/h limit on most of its roads at the end of 2023, despite opposition from central government, and the city says it has reduced accidents without adding significantly to travel times.

Lepore said the council would not challenge the TAR ruling but would pass a new measure that it has already prepared giving reasons for the limit on each road, as requested by the court.

He said the old speed limits would return for a few weeks on some streets until the new measure is passed.

Lepore also hit out at the government’s opposition.

“Over the past two years, the government has tried to stop and slow down the 30km/h limit, but it hasn’t managed to stop road deaths in Italy,” the mayor said.

“Bologna, on the other hand, is the city that has halved them.

I believe a government should help cities that save lives, not hinder them.

“According to the council, 17 lives were saved and 348 fewer injuries were recorded in the first two years of the limit.

“We won’t stop in fact, we must do more: the 30 km/h limit will soon be the destiny of all of Italy, as is already happening in Europe.” Last week Rome started imposing a 30 km/h speed limit in central areas of the capital.