Milan, Dec. 22 (Reuters): Citizens in one Alpine region of northern Italy have been walking or taking the bus to work since a curfew on more polluting cars and scooters came into force this month.

The cities of Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone and Brunico have largely banned cars more than 10-years-old and scooters, beloved of Italian teenagers, that are more than five-years-old.

?We?ve noticed that there are fewer jams, especially on the roads into the city, and teenagers are switching to bicycles,? Delazer Heimo of Bolzano?s traffic information centre said today. Bolzano and the others are prone to air pollution because they sit in valleys. Heimo said that, despite Italians? legendary love for their vehicles, curfew breaches had been few.