Portimão council has voted on the motion "For an Algarve free of the tragedy of tolls and for the full and adequate upgrading of the EN125," presented by Left Bloc MP and local councillor, João Vasconcelos.The document proposed that the council should support "the urgent elimination of toll on the Via do Infante motorway," as well as, "the urgent upgrading of the EN125, between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António."
The problem here is that this is a socialist council which, although agreeing that "a total abolition of tolls in Via do Infante would be fair," could not be seen to vote against the government’s policy on the region's iniquitous road tolls.
The socialist said of the tolls, that "the conditions for scrapping them have not yet been met, but the Government already has reduced tolls by 15% and, will at the end of the legislature, reduce them by a further 15%. This is the 30% reduction it committed to before the 2015 elections."
In 2015, the wannabe prime minister, António Costa, said he would scrap the Algarve's motorway tolls but did a swift U-turn on gaining power.
Regarding the EN125 roadworks, the Portimão socialists managed weakly to claim that, "it was the previous government that wanted a two-stage repair job," and the delay in starting the works between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António is all due to the Court of Auditors.
Comments
You only have to look at the road into Portimão from the Igreja da Penina as it approaches Intermarche and Continente, for years it has been allowed to deteriorate with no proper maintenace but as bad as the condition of the road is, the supposedly pedestrian area on either side of the road is horrendous, no proper footpaths, just rough and very dangerous areas, forcing pedestrians, including women with small children and prams to walk on the road with all the dangers that entails, whenever I pass there it reminds me of driving into towns I've been to in the deprived areas of Central Africa and South America.
Do the Portimão council officials not have any shame at all, do they not drive down that road and feel ashamed at their total lack of action with regards to this longstanding and very dangerous situation.
I've read that the council is still owed millions of euros of taxpayers money from the inept, not to say corrupt handouts to that white elephant of a race track, however, now that the totally unprofitable race track been bailed out again, this time by the central government how about the council asking for some of the taxpayers money back and spending it on the upkeep of the roads and footpaths in Portimão, thereby aiding the citizens of Portimão, instead using the taxpayers money to fund their political cronies.
BRAVO! WELL SAID, BOTH.
Message to politicians: Please stop playing games with people's lives and agree to a budget and a start date for this road.