Naples suffocated by traffic: taxi drivers in the trenches, protests and strike on May 28

Naples continues to deal with paralyzing traffic that penalizes citizens, workers and tourists. This is reported by theBasic Taxi Drivers Association, which today, the day after the passage of the Tour of Italy, launches an appeal to the municipal administration: «Enough penalizing public and collective transport, a decisive change of direction is needed».

The city's streets, already congested on a daily basis, went completely haywire during the sporting event. The blocked traffic caused a series of problems: many travellers arriving at the airport were unable to reach the airport in time. Beverello Pier, losing maritime connections with the Gulf islands.

"Naples has now sunk into an unsustainable traffic chaos," the taxi drivers wrote in a note, "while the measures adopted by the administration are limited to hitting those who choose or work in public transport, instead of regulating private traffic."

Adding fuel to the fire are the Orsa and Usb Taxi unions, who proclaimed a 24-hour national strike for Tuesday, May 28. The mobilization will involve for now Naples, Rome, Turin and Lamezia Terme, respecting the guaranteed time slots.

At the base of the protest, he explains Rosario Gallucci, national secretary of Orsa Taxi, there are "critical issues related to the unfair competition of rentals with driver (NCC), which operate as taxis by exploiting algorithms that circumvent the regulations". Taxi drivers also denounce the inertia of the Municipalities in enforcing the rules.

The demands of the trade unions are clear: effective sanctions against NCC violations, stricter controls, application of territorial regulations and a protocol shared with the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, for Naples, there remains the urgency of a new vision of urban mobility, which focuses on sustainability and efficiency, before chaos becomes the norm.