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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!luigi
From: luigi@hplabs.UUCP (Luigi Semenzato)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Driving in Southern Italy
Message-ID: <1674@hplabs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Aug-83 13:25:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabs.1674
Posted: Mon Aug  8 13:25:44 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Aug-83 05:08:52 EDT
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 27

If you think that driving in Boston is bad, obviously you have never
driven in Naples, Italy.

Two factors are responsible for the constantly suicidal conditions of
the streets: the high density of traffic, and the mentality of the
local population. There are other populations who are potentially worse
drivers, but they don't have cars.

I won't go into details on what happens there, there are no words to
describe. But I'll cite an anecdote: 

A while ago, after the big earthquake, some streets in the city had
to be closed because damaged or in dangerous conditions. The traffic jams,
which were already unbearable, became ridiculous. So the Mayor of Naples
came out with an innovative solution: cars with odd numbered licence
plates could be driven on odd numbered days, and vice versa (actually
the idea wasn't that new, it had already been applied on all Italy
during the fuel crisis).

Well, it didn't seem to work too well. After a couple of weeks, they
found out why: all drugstores were selling adhesive numbers, in the same
size and shape and color of the standard Italian license plate.
They were selling quite well.

Would people do the same thing in Boston?
-- 
	Luigi Semenzato	    HP Labs     Palo Alto, CA 94304