The 36th annual Faro motorbike festival is over and a more normal, bumper-to-bumper, pace returns to the region’s roads.
The organiser and president of the Moto Clube de Faro, José Amaro, said there were no accidents that he was aware of, that 25,000 people attended the festival, everything went well and that the authorities were happy with behaviour.
The leaving parade through Faro was cheered on by the crowds and was boosted by the inclusion of members of CUVI who are fighting to have the Via do Infante tolls suspended – an issue which Amaro fully supports.
The figures are not yet in for the amount spent in the region by those attending the festival but Amaro says the economic impact is significant, as is the promotion abroad of the region’s image.
Others are not so sure of the festival’s place, with one local reader appalled at the annual disruption and noise.
“l live on the EN125 in between Quarteira and Vilamoura and its dreadful how the motorbikers ride at all times of the day and night up and down the road, in what seems to be complete lawless behaviour; as there seems to be no police presence stopping the illegal behaviour of the bikers.
“I would like to add, the local motorbikers also have a lawless disregard in which they illegally modify their bikes by taking off road mirrors, removing exhaust pipes and weave in between the cars and trucks. So l’m not saying the local bikers are saints while the foreigners aren't.”
Posing some open questions to the authorities, the reader’s frustration is evident:
- Why are there inadequate numbers of Police on the road, curbing the behaviour of the motorbikers for the safety of all road users on the road?
- Why do the motorbikers think they can behaviour in an unsafe manner on the road and get away with it?
- Why can they drive around on blatantly unroadworthy motorbikes with screaming exhaust pipes, disturbing the locals, with no consequences to the local laws?
- Why do the rights of the local citizens in regards to road safety and driver behaviour, cease during the motorbike festival in Faro why do the motorbikers have more and superior rights here in the Algarve than the locals and holiday makers?
- Why is the Motorbike Festival held at the height of the summer season so that it inconveniences all the other international holiday makers who also contribute to the economy of the Algarve - why are the other holiday makers regarded as second class when they would be contributing more to the economy than the motorbikers?
- Why are the roads of the Algarve not saturated with police and other authorities (including motorbike clubs), to prevent the lawless behaviour that the motorbikers consistently are involved in?
- How much money does the Motorbike Festival actually contribute to the Algarve economy verses the rest of the holiday makers?
"l genuinely hope you are able to find out some of these, if not all of these answers, because l assume l speak on behalf of other locals, saying they have had enough of the bed behaviour and are seeking answers for future events."
This list is guaranteed to provoke some forthright comment and, while we await any official police report on the event, it is interesting to note that not all forms of tourism are as welcome as others, especially by those impacted directly.
Some of the above questions are easier to answer than others, but all comments are welcome.
Is the bike festival an unwelcome, noisy and lawless inconvenience, or is it a welcome boost to the image and bank accounts of the Algarve?
For a 4:40 minute video of the 2017 festival, see: https://www.maisalgarve.pt/videos/8166-reportagem-video-36-concentracao-motas
