Blood on the Provincial Road. Speed cameras expected in 2023.

It was December 2023 when the council of the Metropolitan City of Florence approved the resolution to finance the installation of two speed cameras on provincial road 72, in Lastra a Signa . They were to be located between km 1 and 2, precisely on the stretch of road where the latest (yet another) road accident occurred. For this reason, the issue returned to the center of the debate, along with the petition launched on the topic, also in 2023, by the Hill Committee. At the time, the request, put forward by councilor Giacomo Cucini at the urging of the Municipality of Lastra a Signa, took into account the number of accidents (29 from 2017 to 2022) and provided for a budget of €130,670 with which the Municipality would purchase the two speed cameras, subsequently sharing the proceeds from the fines with the Metropolitan City. There was no shortage of controversy from the opposition, particularly from the 'Territori Beni Comuni' group, which highlighted the risk of "setting a dangerous precedent for a similar request for provincial roads" and demanded more documentation on the actual danger level of the road. The fact remains that we are in 2025, and the speed cameras have not yet been installed. "In recent years," explains Mayor Emanuele Caporaso, "the Municipality has taken several steps. The first was to agree with the Metropolitan City to raise the speed limit from 70 to 50 km/h. In 2023, the administration continued the process for the two speed cameras, which is still ongoing. The Metropolitan City had funded the project, but some opinions were needed, which were also slowed down by national approval issues. We are trying to determine whether it can be expedited. An analysis is also underway to evaluate other measures." The hope is that this can be done quickly, before another tragedy occurs. Just to name a few of the many tragedies, in 2001, two young men aged 22 and 23 died in a head-on collision on Via Vecchia Pisana. In 2010, on Christmas Eve, a 42-year-old man lost his life while returning from work. In 2011, a 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed, and in 2015, a 46-year-old. Then, from 2017 to 2020, a landslide resulted in a one-way system on the road. And, thanks to the pandemic, there were no fatalities. But only until 2023, when a cyclist and a motorcyclist, aged 54 and 57, died. On Thursday, yet another tragedy occurred, with 37-year-old Matteo Caruso losing his life. The passenger in his car and the driver of the Duster, who was coming in the opposite direction, are still in critical condition. The death was that of the artistic director of the Teatro delle Arti, Gianfranco Pedullà, 68, from Montespertoli, according to a statement. Both are still in critical condition.

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