Tourism, mass events and transportation management: the Rimini approach

A large number of mass events attracting tourists and visitors take place in Rimini every year, but they have negative consequences in terms of traffic congestion. The need to upgrade the local Urban Mobility Plan – UMP - was considered by the local administrators as an opportunity to solve such a problem. The vision behind the Plan was targeted not just at improving vehicular traffic conditions but also at enhancing livability for tourists and residents thanks to the development of an urban rehabilitation process as a framework in which some actions could be implemented to create a more balanced mobility system. Preliminary analyses of the local transportation demand and supply allowed the development of some scenarios for the UMP: some of the planned interventions have been simulated, including the newly planned roads, in order to assess their suitability to the context, namely in terms of impacts on traffic flows, pollution and safety. A proper assessment of the impacts resulting from the planned interventions was of the utmost importance, since the local land use pattern is typical of a densely built environment with important landmarks, and not much could be left to infrastructural interventions. Such concern resulted in planning the crucial so-called “slow mobility” network (bike routes across the whole urban area, road safety improvements, reorganization of parking facilities, etc.) to avoid conflicts in sensitive areas such as the centre and waterfront. The lesson learned from Rimini stresses the need, typical of areas “burdened” with popular events and environmental constraints, to manage traffic problems without disregarding priorities, such as the environment, safety and livability.