Algarve MP, Cristóvão Norte, has 'had it up to here' with the government which he says is directly responsible for the appalling traffic situation in the region, yet it refuses to do anything about it.
Norte questions the government’s intention and whether contractors will ever complete the road works on the EN125 between Vila do Bispo and Olhão. The MP says the Government, "has failed completely with the region."
The road works are not finished, despite several high-profile visits to the region by Pedro Marquês, the Minister for Infrastructure who failed to tell the truth, stating that the road works "will be completed by June 30th," later changing this to “the essential road works.”
The Social Democrat MP says that the EN125 "has been a torment for the citizens" due to "badly planned works, no night work, bad signage and many contraints."
"Even today the road works continue in some area, because even this was poorly assessed. In other area, work lies unfinished. This work always has constraints, but in this case nothing was done to minimise them," says Norte.
As for lifting the tolls on the Via do Infante motorway, to reduce traffic volume on the EN125, Norte says that this proposal was twice put to parliament and MPs who claimed publically to be in favour of abolishing tolls, did nothing about it," and voted on party lines to keep the tolls in place.
Norte states that the road works are not completed "by the deliberate choice of the Government, because between June 2016 and January of this year the road works were suspended," a period during which they could have been completed if the government had got its act together.
Comments
Simple answer Spain. Holiday makers come here and enjoy the weather but have an overall bad experience due to sitting for hours in traffic jams. where would they go next year instead ? Espanha
Also I believe the main contractor was Spanish
Coincidence ?
Add to this the oil exploration fiasco. Algarve wrecked and any money goes to Spain where the oil would come ashore.
Not forgetting the company that administer the A22 tolls, who appear to be untouchable. Spanish.
All these MPs vote according to their orders. If they do not, they will be thrown off the party list. There is a proposal that constituency voters choose MPs by name, rather than by party. If that system were adopted, we should find MPs more willing to buck the party line.