Highway Code, Locatelli: Municipalities required to register on the CUDE platform

ROME, OCT 13 – “Today in the Council of Ministers we approved important amendments to the Highway Code that strengthen and protect the mobility of persons with disabilities. In particular, we are introducing a mandatory requirement for municipalities to join the National Single Digital Platform for the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities (CUDE), in order to streamline the system and make it more effective,” stated Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli.

“This is an essential measure to ensure that persons with disabilities can move and travel without having to apply every day, in every single municipality, for authorization to access Limited Traffic Zones (ZTL) with their vehicles. Italy was the first European country to transpose the new rules — including simplified procedures for issuing the badge — and today, with this measure,” Locatelli explained, “we give substance and a voice to the many people who have been asking for a concrete solution for years.”

“In the past,” she added, “these provisions were treated as mere recommendations, and very few municipalities joined the national platform. Now, municipalities will be required to register; failure to do so will prevent them from using automated remote enforcement devices for Highway Code violations. Furthermore, this measure increases administrative penalties for the improper or fraudulent use of the parking badge, primarily to protect those who are genuinely entitled to it.”

The amendments also provide for the adoption of uniform criteria for issuing the badge, national guidelines to promote standardized medico-legal assessment criteria nationwide, and improved accessibility in e-scooter parking areas to protect persons who are blind or visually impaired.

“My thanks go to Minister Matteo Salvini for the work carried out; once again, we are moving from words to action,” concluded Locatelli. “Thank you for the attention given to these issues, demonstrated also by the establishment of the interinstitutional committee on mobility and transport, which I thank for the work accomplished. We will continue working to simplify and improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities.”