Amid accidents and damage, Venice introduces speed cameras for boats

Venice 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. 

Andrea Balbi, a gondolier for 30 years, says speed is an increasing hazard. 

"The danger isn't just for the gondoliers, but everyone who travels on the water," says Balbi, who is also president of the Venice Gondolier Association. 

"When a boat goes fast and causes a wave, obviously other drivers or passengers could lose their balance and fall into the water or on the ground."

This "wave motion" doesn't just impact theoretically on public safety, but also literally on the city's buildings, prone as they are to erosion.  

That's why Venice is instigating a precautionary measure common on dry land but unusual on the water: speed cameras. 

"It's the same application that we have on the roads," says Venice City Council Treasurer Michele Zuin. "The boat will be photographed at one point and then rephotographed at another and the medium speed will be calculated."

'Impractical' or overdue?

In all, 55 cameras have been installed around the city. But some waterborne workers warn the "Barcavelox" system is impractical. 

"I think it is very difficult to enforce it because water isn't land and there are many variables such as wind, the current, the waves. So, it's very difficult," says taxi driver Filippo Bocalon.  

"Many people blame the taxis, but personally I don't think it's a matter of speed but a matter of how many boats there are".

Residents welcome the speed cameras but say they should have been implemented sooner.  

"Wave motion today is unsustainable, unfortunately the limits are not respected by anyone," one tells CGTN, while another complains "It's incredible that we had to wait until 2025 for the Barcavelox when there have been serious accidents on several occasions."

Venice Council says the delay was due to the necessity of national intervention. 

"With the mayor, we pressured Rome to create the legislation that allows us to enforce this speed camera system," says Zuin. "We couldn't do it with our ordinance, we needed national government laws."

Speed limits

Taxis have speed limits of up to 5 kilometers per hour in the city centre and ferries 7, while in more open waters, there is a limit of 11 kilometers per hour. Those caught defying the rules face hefty penalties.  

The cameras are positioned in the most critical points of the lagoon, such as the Grand Canal and other waterways with intense traffic. The trial started on May 23 and there will be a 60-day grace period when no fines will be issued.

Only time will tell if the cameras stop the city's speeding boats, but Balbi says it's important to try to turn the tide. 

"We must put the city first," says gondolier Balbi. "It's been left to us by our ancestors and it's more than 1,600 years old, so we must preserve it for our children and our children's children."