Algarve MP Artur Rego has expressed his opinion on the tolls on the Algarve’s Via do Infante A22 Via do Infante motorway in a written set of questions to the Minister of the Economy.
Rego is an MP for the CDS-PP party for the Faro constituency and has questioned the Ministry of Economy on the collection of tolls, asking for the system to be scrapped, or at least reduce the tolls cost.
The CDS-PP is headed by junior coalition party Paulo Portas hence Rego's party is complicit in continuing the Algarve's toll system despite the s additonal burden it has placed on the general taxpeyer.
In the written petition, Rego alleged that the Via do Infante was built "to facilitate the mobility of people and businesses, to promote economic and social development across the Algarve."
Artur Rego said the A22 has none of the characteristics of a motorway as it was a SCUT road and never meant to be a toll road. This leaves the EN 125 as the only alternative and Rego also asked when this road will be upgraded as promised.
The document also states that the Via do Infante traffic continues to decrease.
Rego’s questioning of the Ministry of the Economy, headed by Pires de Lima, will of course get nowhere as the government is intent on pursuing this expensive mistake indefinitely, but it’s good to be seen to make the effort, at long last.
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Rego's questions, in Portuguese, can be seen here: http://www.arturrego.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/pergunta_viainfante.pdf
Comments
my cruise control set at 120kph, I am usually overtaken
by at least fifty vehicles each way ( I make a point of noting ), so there we have Euros 5000.00. in an hour, in ten years the fines would pay off our national debt!!!!Ha Ha.
I hope he will make public the answers he gets from the Minister of the Economy.
The scandal is why the government signed a contract that subsidises each and every A22 journey to the tune of around 40 euros. This has to come out of general taxation ie not from toll income, and sends this to Ferrovial in Spain.
This is the scandal, this contract means the taxpayer currently underwrites a commercial company which carries no risk at all if vehicle numbers will fall, which they have done - dramatically. This contract is as bad as, worse in many ways, than the Swaps contracts that have been under the political spotlight recently.
So much for 'user pays' in the case of the A22 - the user pays tolls and the general taxpayer pays as well - not funny and not clever.
The question that no one can find an answer to is why the government persists in this expensive mistake. It's probably simple rather than crooked as to buy its way out of the deal would cost the taxpayer a billion or more.
In the meantime Ferrovial are laughing all the way to the bank as its income is guaranteed whether vehicles use the A22 or not.
Ed.
http://www.ferrovial.com/es/Negocios/Autopistas/Autopistas-Activos-y-experiencia/Euroscut-Algarve?_afrLoop=14053265789112328&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=1asfkxzyh6_66#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3D1asfkxzyh6_66%26_afrLoop%3D14053265789112328%26wcnav.model%3D%25252Foracle%25252Fwebcenter%25252Fportalapp%25252Fnavigations%25252Fnavegacion_es%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3D1asfkxzyh6_110
The Spanish company which owns the franchise for the tolls. Who owns it? Where do its profits go? Has anyone done any research on this? Why is the political establishment, normally divided on most issues, so united on this one? Where are Portugal´s investigative journalists?