For years the EN125 has been a dangerous road. It's already the road to death! For years there was a project to repair and upgrade it. The A22 motorway across the Algarve was built using EU-funds and was never meant to be sold off but a foreign fund now owns the concession.
A minister said maintaining the EN125 by using a contractor friendly to PS+PSD, is expensive. If they did as in Germany, where maintenance is paid by the state but controlled by the Councils, it would cost half.
Users boycott the A22 motorway as they feel cheated paying tolls and have to then queue in the Post Office to pay the tolls.
The Algarve motorway lost half of its pre-toll traffic. Citizens have been protesting against the tolls for six years without results.
To silence the revolt in the Algarve and serve the foreign friends to the rulers, Government begun to rebuild the EN 125 but the traffic has slowed down, the road is full yet more accidents cripple and kill us.
In Vida Economica on Nov 25, 2016 we read that for decades, roundabouts have not been built in northern Europe. "Three lanes, with the middle one of variable direction, allowing overtaking instead of long queues like those on the EN125. There are signs to indicate the next lay-by and the next overtaking lane."
"Minister, since the work has stopped, update the project, because there are many sections that can still use the technology of the 21st century. Do not let them kill the Algarve for the greed of providing what nobody wants."
He did nothing and turned the EN125 into road of death.
Deceived? The minister says he has no money. But the book TRANSPORTES, with forewords by ex-AirPortugal CEO Fernando Pinto and ex-Minister Mira Amaral, detail the errors.
"There is a lot of potential for exporting agrotech/agroindustry but we lack efficient transportation in the interior."
"A proposal to bring industrial innovators was ignored. It would have given Government €232 million."
Jornal de Negócios 06/06/06 wrote about of the absurdity of a new airport.
In 2010 a PhD-paper by Cláudia R. Almeida looked at Portela-2. They should build a terminal at Beja airport for a cargo hub. If they built the rail extension to Beja, the 600-passenger super-flights from the Americas could land and, with the Light Fast Train at 160kmph, or the Alpha at 220kmph, they could arrive in Lisbon or the Algarve in 45-50 minutes.
Infraestruturas de Portugal has billions in land. For instance, in 2009 it got a proposal to sell/lease for 99 years land at a junction of IP roads to build shopping centres and services with easy access to many towns along these routes.
Complementary innovators would come in group from various industrial regions of the EU. The proposal was ignored. It would have given Government €232 million.
“Infraestruturas, has 300 well-paid bosses who do little or nothing. Let them retire, sell the gorgeous HQs in Almada and Lisbon for luxury hotels, bank €250 million.”
Now there are about 50 decaying former warehouses near railway stations, easy to do-up and lease to supermarkets. Infraestruturas de Portugal, a merger of the road and train companies, has 300 well-paid bosses who do little or nothing. Let them retire, sell the gorgeous HQs in Almada and Lisbon for luxury hotels, bank €250 million.
Many train stations have underused space; rent them to shops.The Entroncamento railway workshop must renew carriages and upgrade engines; it needs a good boss.
Thousands citizens die on the roads for lack of a good rail network. We spend heavily on imported crude oil and hospitals due to pollution in large cities. We lack trains.
Yes, Prime Minster - you can sack bad Ministers!