Municipal Parking Dispute: Matteotti Overrules Munari’s Signage
Munari creates, but luckily Matteotti undoes. It’s a concise — yet comic and realistic — summary of the latest municipal moves regarding parking, where the clash between two different “philosophies,” often kept confined within the council chamber, unexpectedly surfaced in the open yesterday.
On Monday morning, following an order from Transport and municipal construction councilor Emilio Munari, municipal workers placed “time-discount” signs on parking areas (initially free) along Viale Roma and Viale Dante: and they were already preparing to repeat this operation in the coming days on Viale Prati, Via Bastione, and Via Filanda.
Yesterday morning, a counter-order was issued, signed by Deputy Mayor Pietro Matteotti. Sitting temporarily in the most important seat at the Municipality (Malossini is in Palestine), he reacted first with irritation and then with authority to the news of the expansion of the “disco zone,” reported by Alto Adige and not authorized by him at all.
Matteotti’s Response
“I have issued a service order to the municipal construction department,” explains Matteotti. “I request the suspension of the sign installations and the removal of those placed on Monday. They need to be cleared away, except for the ones in Largo Marconi, in front of the hospital.
There was agreement in the Council that these should become time-discount zones. It was an obvious measure, following the creation of the free parking lot at the former Eca and the paid parking lot on Viale Canella. But beyond that, I will be uncompromising.”
This is not the first time that Matteotti has confronted an “invasion” of Munari’s field of action, who apparently is inspired by the commander of the civic police.
However, while in the past the divergence was resolved before the signs went up (such as on Via Filzi Nord, which without Matteotti’s intervention risked becoming paid parking), yesterday the conflict flared up in a blatant manner.
The Rivana residents, certainly amused, will see signs just barely embedded in the asphalt disappear.
Matteotti’s Considerations
“I prefer to look silly than to anger the people,” explains Matteotti. “Changing the parking layout in September doesn’t make sense, even if the measure (and I repeat, it’s not) were agreeable.”
“We all know that the issue of parking spaces in Riva only exists during the tourist season. Are we going to make revolutions now, with six months of peace ahead of us?”
The deputy mayor emphasizes that all modifications are suspended at least until the ‘Alto Garda Parcheggi’ — the public-private company that should manage both the underground lot in Via Pilati (once it’s finally built) and other paid zones of the city — is established (if it will be).
“Feel free to write it down — says Matteotti — as long as I am in the Council, nothing will change regarding parking. I do not want to allow speculation to harm citizens. There is a document, also signed by assessors Munari and Mosaner, that sets boundaries for paid zones and tariffs. We must honor it. To me, it’s a kind of sacred pact with the city.”