The controversial closure of a pedestrian level crossing in Olhão has caused upset, annoyance and disappointment for locals as their elected politicians until now have appeared inept and impotent when dealing with overpowering national bodies such as the railway company Refer.
The closure "for no good reason" of a pedestrian crossing across the railway line near Olhão station has forced people to use a long, narrow underpass which elderly already are having difficulty in successfully navigating as it narrows to 1 metre making passage difficult and at times dangerous.
Refer fenced off the pedestrian crossing and simply hung up a notice citing safety measures. Nobody in living memory has been killed or injured at the railway crossing where the trains crawl past as they enter or leave Olhão station.
The crossing is at a spot where the Avenida Dr. Bernardino da Silva turns into the Avenida da Republica and is used by thousands of pedestrians each day.
According to Refer, operators of the national rail network, the adoption of this measure is for "the safety of users, ensuring that people always cross the railway safely."
Two policemen have been posted, one each side of the blocked off crossing, to ensure nobody decides to damage it, and of course to inform the public that they now will have to use the underpass.
Olhao’s mayor has woken up to the problem. Today, António Pina has sent a letter to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Refer expressing the "absolute disagreement of the municipality of Olhão" for the closure of the pedestrian crossing and considers it "manifestly against the public interest, in particular against the safety and mobility of the citizens of Olhão."
The mayor stated that "it is an incomprehensible unilateral decision to close the crossing, which in addition to causing huge inconvenience to those in Olhão who use it every day.”
António Pina points out that the inclination of the underpass is steeper than legally acceptable for those people with disabilities. Pina also notes that when there is heavy rainfall the underpass often floods which “endangers people using this passage, especially the elderly, children and people with reduced mobility."
Olhao’s Socialist Party's position is that the unilateral decision by Refer has created a Berlin Wall, "We are facing a Berlin Wall that divides the city into two, making it extremely difficult for the elderly and those citizens with disabilities to cross the city.”
Refer closed the crossing once before and the next day one opened up near Intermarche 100 metres to the east.
The socialists point out also that "in times of adverse weather conditions there is a tendency for the tunnel to become flooded" (see picture below). This would mean a long walk to the next crossing the far side of the railway station, or a short walk to the unofficial crossing by Intermarche which would be very dangerous indeed for elderly or disabled users.
In terms of the safety argument used by Refer, the socialists commented that "There is no record of any accident at this crossing for over 20 years, there are other black spots on the Refer railway lines that should be attended to instead of limiting people’s mobility in Olhão."
The crux of the matter is that closing the pedestrian crossing is a lot cheaper for Refer than it having to pay for the installation of proper safety equipment.
The fencing used is of a type that can be removed without too much trouble and when the police guard has dispersed in a few days, locals are relying on public spirited citizens to provide a people's solution.
