The Ztl green zone continues to stir up emotions among Romans. In recent days, there has been a blame game between the Municipality and the Region, creating confusion among citizens and complicating the situation. At the same time, according to the Mobility Councillor Eugenio Patanè, several fake news stories have been circulating online about the topic.

So much so that Patanè himself has stepped in to debunk them.

How will the story of the green zone Ztl end (and why it’s not good news for Rome at all)

The Councillor: “No traffic restrictions in Rome after 10 pm”

“I read some sensational fake news about the Ztl green zone on the web, which I feel compelled to categorically deny,” explains Patanè. “First of all, there will be no traffic block within the city of Rome starting from 10 pm.”

And then: “As for the bans outlined in the Regional Air Quality Plan, we are waiting for it to be discussed by the regional council. If the changes are definitively approved, we have stated and reiterated several times that we will work, as we did last year, together with Arpa and the Lazio Region, to maintain the current ban situation that has so far achieved the desired objectives.”

The Controversy over the Ztl

The confusion, however, remains: on Tuesday, May 13, there was a back and forth between the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and the President of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca. The focus was on the changes to the Regional Air Quality Improvement Plan, awaiting approval by the council. The document includes a ban on circulation, from November 1, 2025, to March 30, 2026, for vehicles with diesel engines up to Euro 5 and petrol engines up to Euro 2 in Rome’s Ztl green zone.

Gualtieri pointed fingers at the Region, and Rocca’s response was quick: the President of the Region, in response, blamed his predecessor, Nicola Zingaretti.