During recent years, air pollution, caused mainly by traffic congestion, has become a major problem for local authorities in large cities and medium-sized towns in Italy. The closure of historic town centres and the most congested urban areas, by creating limited traffic zones (LTZs), has been the most effective way of regulating traffic, by discouraging drivers from using their cars indiscriminately. To make this method efficient, it was necessary to ensure that selected groups of users and vehicle types were allowed into an LTZ, while others were excluded. To implement it in the city of Bologna, a joint venture between Elettronica Santerno and the Bologna local authority developed the SIRIO automated electronic traffic control system, to meet specific local requirements. SIRIO's key components are ID stations, collecting data at established entry gates, and a central traffic control station at the local authority headquarters, which transmits the data collected and processed by IDs, and enforces relevant penalties for offences committed. With SIRIO, vehicles do not need to be equipped with special permits or identification system; a resident in an LTZ only needs to give his local authority his vehicle registration number. SIRIO is very versatile, and can perform many additional functions to meet individual customer needs.
Abstract