New rule poses major changes for popular tourist destination
With its impressive sheer drops down to turquoise waters below and roads seemingly chiselled out of the surrounding cliffs, the Amalfi Coast has become an iconic road trip destination - a status that has brought plenty of tourists and traffic with it.
The Italian location has now become known for stories of miles-long traffic backups, as buses and vans packed with tourists navigate multiple narrow stretches of single-lane roads with switchbacks.
But, a new rule could spell the end of heavy tourist traffic on the roads - and mess with plenty of holiday itineraries.
A newly-launched alternate number plate system means that cars can only access the stretch between Vietri sul Mare and Positano every other day during peak hours in peak season.
On odd-numbered dates, only cars with plates ending in odd numbers can use the road, while cars with even numbers at the end of their plates will be able to drive along it on even-numbered dates.
The rule applies for the entire month of August between 10am and 6pm, as well as on weekends from June 15 through to September 30, Holy Week, and the dates from April 24 to May 2.
Residents from 13 towns along the coast will be exempt, along with public transport vehicles, taxis, and cars that are hired with a driver.
However, vehicles longer than 10.36 metres will be banned from the road entirely, while caravans and vehicles with trailers are prohibited from using the road from 6.30am til midnight, all year round.
The rules, introduced by Anas, also see vehicles over six metres long and 2.1 metres wide restricted to using the road within certain hours and being completely banned on peak dates.
Deputy mayor of Vietri sul Mare Angela Infante told CNN the new rules had been needed for some time.
“It’s started again this year - you can’t drive at weekends, people are trapped at home,” Ms Infante said.
Prior to the pandemic, she said there would sometimes be backups up to six kilometres along the coast.
“You have to drive incredibly slowly because there are so many cars, and often it is completely blocked,” she added.
“Apart from anything else, you could have an ambulance [in that traffic] and anything could happen - we have to limit the heavy traffic.”
While Ms Infante is among many locals welcoming the new rules, others aren’t so happy.
Antonio Illardi, the president of a local association of hoteliers called Federalberghi Salerno, argued in an open letter to Anas for the rules to be tweaked to allow overnight tourists to drive to their hotel and for hotel workers to reach their work if they live outside the coast.
“The policy is a ‘disaster’,” he told CNN.
"It discourages tourists. It makes it impossible to stay for an odd number of days. If you arrive on Wednesday, you can't leave on Thursday. It's not like you can send your rental car back on Amazon."
Others are concerned that tourists will be unaware of the changes and may be fined if not alerted by the rental companies and end up driving on the wrong day.
"The rules are written in bureaucratese, they're not easy to read,” Mr Illardi said.
“Maybe rental car companies won't know, or maybe the visitor won't mention where they're going. So they'll get a car with the wrong plate and will be met with a fine on arrival."
Despite the contention, the rules are said to have been created with the blessing of the town councils along the coast, with the exception of Minori and Maiori.
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