ROME, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A ban on most vehicular traffic on one of Rome's most famous thoroughfares went into effect this weekend.
The move by Mayor Ignazio Marino to reduce traffic on the Via dei Fori Imperiali by 90 percent is meant to curb pollution and minimize damage to monuments, such as the Coliseum, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.
Bicycles, pedestrians, emergency vehicles, buses and taxis are to be the only traffic allowed on the road that runs through a major archaeological area that also includes the ancient Roman Forum and the central Piazza Venezia.
"Thanks to this pedestrianization project, Via dei Fori Imperiali will become the most stunningly beautiful boulevard in the world," the city of Rome said on its project website. "Here is where it all started, and, here, today's Rome is reborn."
However, some motorists were upset by the ban.
"It's a mess, I don't understand anything," one said.
