Italy's waterbound city of Venice has installed speed traps to slow down boats and reduce "wave motion" that brings danger to people and historic buildings. CGTN's Hermione Kitson reports.
00:00Venice may be a floating city, but it's not without traffic woes, with taxi boats, ferries, gondolas and cruise ships all vying for space on its famous canals and waterways.
00:16Andrea Balbi has been a gondolier for 30 years and says speed is an increasing hazard.
00:21The danger isn't just for the gondoliers, but everyone who travels on the water, because when a boat goes fast and causes a wave, obviously other drivers or passengers could lose their balance and fall.
00:36The impact of wave motion is not just a risk for people's safety, but also for the city's buildings prone to erosion.
00:42It is the same application that we have on the roads. The boat will be photographed at one point and then re-photographed at another and the medium speed would be calculated.
00:56Fifty-five cameras have been installed around the city for the Barca VELOC system. However, taxi drivers say it's impractical.
01:03I think it is very difficult to enforce it because water doesn't land, and there are many variables such as wind, the current, the waves. Personally, I don't think it's a matter of speed, but a matter of how many boats there are.
01:19Residents welcome the speed cameras, but say they should have been implemented sooner.
01:24Wave motion today is unsustainable. Unfortunately, the limits are not respected by anyone.
01:29It's incredible that we had to wait until 2025 for the Barca VELOCs when there have been serious accidents on several occasions.
01:40Venice Council says the delay was due to the necessity of national intervention.
01:47With the mayor, we pressured Rome to create the legislation that allows us to enforce this speed camera system.
01:54We couldn't do it with our ordinance. We needed national government laws.
01:57Taxis have speed limits of up to five kilometres per hour in the city centre and ferries seven, while in more open waters, there's a limit of 11 kilometres per hour.
02:09The cameras are positioned in the most crucial points of the lagoon, such as the Grand Canal and other waterways where there is intense traffic.
02:16Only time will tell if the cameras stop the city's speeding boats, but it's seen as an important step in the right direction.
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