Wednesday, June 13,

Italians Offered Cash to Give Up Their Vespas

The ANNOTICO Report

 

In an effort to promote "greener" and more "eco-friendly" transport, and rid the streets of the noisy polluting, BUT much beloved pre 2001 Vespas, the Italian government is offering substantial cash incentives to owners to switch to bicycles or electric vehicles.

 

Vespa Lovers in the main are unimpressed!!!  

 

 

Italians Offered Cash to Give Up Their Vespas

 

Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
By Malcolm Moore in Rome

June 13, 2007

 

The buzz of the Vespa, one of Italy's most distinctive sounds, could soon be hushed under a plan to promote greener transport.

Owners of vintage Vespas, and all other scooters built before 2001, have been offered hundreds of euros worth of incentives to switch to bicycles or electric vehicles.

Italy's environment ministry, which has set aside #10 million for the project, will pay as much as #680 towards the cost of an electric scooter, or #170 towards a bicycle. Smaller incentives are on offer for the latest eco-friendly petrol scooters. Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, the environment minister, said: "We are doing our best to combat carbon emissions and the fine dust that these scooters create. This will all help us live better."

Around five million Italians own motorbikes or scooters, according to the ministry of transport. Lovers of the Vespa, which celebrated its 60th birthday last year, were sceptical that the incentives would part them from their beloved motorini.

"Why would anyone want to scrap a classic Vespa for a discount on a bicycle?" said Gianni Massa, of the Vespa Club of Italy. "It would be an offence against humanity."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?

xml=/news/2007/06/13/wscooter113.xml

 

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:

Italia USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com [Formerly Italy at St Louis] (7 years)

Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)

 

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net