Olhão council is to make a public presentation of its proposals to solve the Berlin Wall railway crossing dispute that so far has caused upset, protest and vandalism.
The pedestrian level crossing was blocked off by the state railway company Refer in a unilateral decision leaving many elderly unable to cross from one side of Olhão to the other, as they have done all their lives.
Refer management say that people will just have to use the underpass but many pointed out that not only does this flood when there is heavy rainfall (see picture), the railed calçada walkways are too narrow and the slope of the passage makes this a perilous journey for many elderly pedestrians and wheelchair users.
The mayor António Pina went to Refer in Lisbon to present the opinions of Olhao’s citizens but came back only with an agreement that the railway crossing will remain shut to pedestrians, and that Refer would pay to upgrade the unsuitable underpass subject to plans being submitted by the council.
The public meeting, called for the 29th December at 18.00 in the library next to the railway crossing in question, is to enable the council to present its new scheme for the underpass, rather than engage in discussion about the old, blocked crossing, nicknamed the Berlin Wall by one council member.
A project will be submitted to Refer for the underpass upgrade and Refer should pick up the bill, depending on its magnitude.
According to the municipality the presentation session results from the decision of the Board of Directors of Refer that the crossing will stay shut and that the underpass will be used from now on, with Refer agreeing to ‘minimise the negative impact of this measure.'
The council proposals will be submitted for public discussion by Olhão council but its proposals do not actually address the main issue.
The vast majority of people simply want the old crossing upgraded to one with safety barriers, a simple task and one that makes even safer a crossing that has been used for decades without incident.
