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DRIVING

EXPLAINED: What is Italy’s ‘pink parking’ and how do you use it?

Are you pregnant or do you have a child under two years old? Here's how you can use Italy's priority pink parking, according to updated rules of the Highway Code.

Published: 25 April 2022 16:50 CEST
EXPLAINED: What is Italy's 'pink parking' and how do you use it?
Italys pink parking permit allows pregnant women and parents with children under two years old to park in priority spots. Photo: Karli Drinkwater

Finding a car parking space can be a headache in Italy, especially in busy town centres at peak times.

To ease the burden on drivers with precious cargo, Italy recently formalised its rules on so-called ‘pink parking’ (parcheggio rosa) for pregnant women or parents with children under two years old.

READ ALSO: How visitors to Italy can avoid driving penalties

Pink lines on the road reserved for this group is nothing new, as it existed in some form before, but the latest Highway Code reform introduced new measures and formalised what was previously a gesture.

Here’s what the parking privilege entitles you to now and how to prove you’re eligible to use it.

How pink parking spaces have changed

Before the Italian authorities updated the Highway Code in November, individual towns could reserve some parking spaces, but only for certain categories of people, such as those with limited mobility.

These categories could include pregnant women, but this was not explicitly stated.

As it wasn’t a national measure, town halls created their own pink parking spaces near essential public services like hospitals, schools, parks, banks and post offices. Supermarkets have also historically created pink parking spaces for clients, as a gesture of courtesy.

(Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP)

Under the reform, however, the Highway Code provided for pink parking spaces formally, nationwide.

Italy’s road rules contained a reference to parking spots for pregnant women and parents with children up to the age of two. In order to use these parking spaces, you need a ‘pink permit’ (permesso rosa).

Article 158 of the Highway Code prohibits parking within pink lines if you don’t fall into this category.

Anyone caught using a pink parking space who is not eligible could be fined from anywhere between €80 to €328 for mopeds and from €165 to €660 for other vehicles.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How do you dispute a parking ticket in Italy?

How do you get a pink permit?

To apply for a pink permit, you need to apply to your town hall as the permit must be issued by the municipality of residence (comune di residenza).

Each local authority should have a form for you to fill out, which will then be reviewed by the police.

Depending on where you live, however, it’s worth noting that not all town halls have caught up with the new regulations and may not yet be in a position to give you a pink permit.

The Local contacted one municipality in the province of Bologna to apply, to which they replied, “The municipality is still in the process of identifying any areas to be dedicated to ‘pink’ parking.

“We very much doubt that this will happen before the end of summer 2022.”

To find out if your town hall has begun issuing permits, you can usually email or go online with Spid authentication, if available.

In order to obtain the pink permit you will normally need to show:

  • A copy of the certificate of the baby’s due date of birth or the birth certificate;
  • A copy of your driving licence;
  • A copy of your car registration document.

See full details of Italy’s Highway Code here and visit our travel section for the latest updates.

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DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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