The local administration in Venice introduced an almost complete ban on kayaking in Venice city last August, and Venice Kayak has taken the city to court over the ban. We have written about this several time previously.
The TAR Veneto (Tribunale Amministrative Regionale del Veneto) has finally pronounced its sentence, and they have decided in our favour.
In practice this means that Venice now returns to the rules as they were before August 1st, 2018, which allowed kayaking in Venice with some time restrictions.
Below Venice Kayak’s press release of March 20th, 2019, is reproduced.
Venezia, March 20th, 2019
Press release
Venice Kayak Srl, one of the very few zero-impact companies in Venice, which takes pride in the professionalism of its guides and the safety of the clients, has decided to take legal recourse in front of the TAR (the regional administrative tribunal) of the Veneto, against the decision with which the City of Venice – with a measure with no prior warning which entered into force on August 1st, one single day after its publication – has banned, for stated reasons of safety of navigation, kayaks and canoes from transiting the main waterways of the city centre.
The TAR of the Veneto has today, March 20th, 2019, accepted the legal recourse in all in principal points, cancelling the decision. This reinstates the previous rules of navigation, which have in any case proven to be sufficient in assuring the safety of navigation.
In fact – underlines the owner René Seindal – Venice Kayak has never been involved in any accident, nor has it ever received any kind of fine, during its activity.
The company intends, also after the tribunal’s decision, to continue working, focusing on the safety of its clients and not less of everybody else who with whatever means moves on the waters of the city of Venice.
Mr. Seindal continues, adding that the accidents that have happened on the water ways of the City of Venice, have all been between other types of vessels, almost always by motor propulsion, and they are mostly caused by the way the vessels are conducted, and not by the type of vessels.
Venice Kayak has sought a dialogue with the City of Venice well before the publication of the city’s decision, without any result, and the company – the owner guarantees – remains available for the city administration for any dialogue or contribution, to promote the common good of assuring the safety of navigation for all, whether by oar or by motor, large or small.
Mr. Seindal explains: it is not justified punishing and blocking ecologically sustainable activities that do not cause damage to our city, to (maybe) favour who pollutes and causes damaging waves. That way Venice cuts a very poor figure.
The company Venice Kayak has suffered substantial economic damage from the illegitimate acts of the City of Venice, and is has been forced to lay off almost all the employees, all Venetians, some with mortgages and children to maintain.
Now – concludes Mr. Seindal – we hope to be able to return to work with the old professionalism and seriousness, and – he adds – with a serene mind that we will not have our daily bread taken away unjustly from one day to the next.
Venice Kayaks thanks the lawyers Giovanni Falcomer and Francesco Mazzoleni, who have taken care of the technical/legal presentation of the legal recourse at the TAR Veneto, defending the interested of the society.
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