Venice is soon to ban wheeled suitcases from being toted across the car-less city, according to a recent CNN article.
Get this: After May 2015, if you drag a wheeled suitcase on the ground, you are subject to fines of up to 500 Euros ($620).
Because the new law will be embedded into the city building code, it will be legal binding. Travelers will be forced to use luggage with air-filled tires, instead of the firm, hard wheels on most pieces today.
Why the ban? Apparently the noise is too much to handle, and city officials are concerned about deterioration to steps, pathways and footbridges around the canals.
I don’t think this new law will last, just based on an enforcement problem. 22 million people visit the city annually, and this is going to be next to impossible to try to control. Further, it’s going to anger travelers.
What do you think of this new law? Would it change your travel pattern to or in Venice?
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Way to welcome travelers Venice. Real smart. I bet the people behind this are the same ones protesting cruise ships.
Wow–I’ll be keeping an eye on this. I love Venice, and was hoping to visit again in the next year or two. But, this is a deal-breaker. How on earth do they expect us to get our luggage to the hotel? I admit that dragging even wheeled cases over those cobblestones and (UGH) bridges is a nightmare, but it’s just part of Venice. (And, yeah, we don’t need to hear from the “just live out of a backpack” crowd–not happening.) I will miss Venice terribly if they stick to this.