The determined members of the Committee of Users of the Via do Infante (CUVI) have arranged a top level meeting in Loule to debate the tolls on the Via do Infante and their impact on the Algarve’s economy.
The tolls have been in place for around two years and there has been plenty of time to analyse the results. This has not happened as the government has refused to commission the promised study which will show the economic damage done to the local economy.
"With the deepening crisis the Algarve is on the brink of social and economic disaster. There are tens of thousands of unemployed, hundreds of business failures, famine and poverty is spreading and traffic accidents on the EN 125 increase daily with injuries and fatalities," according to CUVI.
The forum at the Sala de Conferências do Núcleo Empresarial do Algarve (NERA), on March 22nd will host as speakers, the president of Loulé Câmara, Vitor Aleixo, the president of AMAL, Jorge Botelho, the president of Região de Turismo do Algarve, Desidério Silva, John Vasconcelos, CUVI member and councilor in Portimão, Anthonio Ponce from the Federação Onubense de Empresários de Huelva (FOE), and Paulo de Morais, vice president of the Association for Transparency and Integrity.
The organisers expect many other representatives of bodies from the Algarve and Andalucia including mayors and councillors from Ayamonte and Huelva in neighbouring Spain.
"The time is now for discussion in order to build a broad platform in the Algarve that will lead to the suspension of tolls on the Via do Infante," said CUVI.
CUVI today accused the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications, Sérgio Monteiro of having tried to blackmail the Algarve on his visit to the Algarve last week over the development works on the EN125.
"He said that if the redevelopment goes ahead it will be a special favour from the state but he said it means there will be no money left to invest in the Algarve’s ancient railway system, this is blackmail” says the commission adding that the scenario outlined "is just another electioneering ploy."
Monteiro also said that he would reduce the cost per kilometre on the tolled road, but nobody really believed him.
Importantly CUVI is pushing to have the Public Private Partnership accounts from the Via do Infante toll concession laid open for public scrutiny. Despite income from the tolls, the exchequer is losing tens of millions of euros each year, money that is being transferred directly to the concessionaire in support payments due to the low volume of traffic using the road.
This last point is key, as the money paid over to the Spanish owned concession holder is public money and as yet has not been openly discussed. When this support payment is revealed, and it is estimated to run to over €40 million a year, the government again will be shown to be hugely incompetent when negotiating commercial contracts, with the suspicion that if the deal is so bad, someone is benefitting.
