The quality of the air in Rome has improved slightly over the past year with a reduction of 100,000 in the number of private cars registered in the city. In order to improve to situation still further the city council has confirmed that, like last year, it will limit traffic within the green zone, which includes almost all of the city within the ring road, on the ten Thursdays from 19 January to 23 March from 15.00 21.00. On the first Thursday of the ban, cars with a number plate ending with an odd number will be allowed to circulate and the following Thursday it will be the turn of vehicles with even registration plates. On all of these Thursdays, cars that have no exhaust filter and diesel cars that are not classified as ecodiesel will be banned, irrespective of their number plate. The council has promised to increase public transport by 20 per cent on the days of the traffic ban.

There will also be three traffic free Sundays between January and March, the dates have yet to be decided but the ban will be in effect from 10.00 18.00 in all of the green zone.