Loulé council is replacing the city's lightbulbs with LED technology to save on energy consumption.
The council has contracted for the supply and installation of fixtures with LED lighting in all of its public lighting infrastructure so as to reduce its electricity bill as part of the city's environmental policy.
The replacement programme will cost about €200,000 but happily is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, raising the question of why all councils do not do the same.
Over in Olhão, the Parish Council is taking national railway company Refer to court to have the so called Berlin Wall situation resolved, a situation whereby the city, for many elderly pedestrians, now is divided in two.
The notorious actions by Refer, which was so keen to block an essential, well used and safe pedestrian crossing near the city’s railway station, has seen a cat and mouse game of erecting fencing, only to have it stealthily removed by locals under the cover of darkness.
The Parish Council says that its residents do not agree with the current situation where talks to resolve the dispute between the city council and Refer have come to nothing.
Parish Council staff have been receiving complaints on a daily basis. Many elderly pedestrians are unable or unwilling to use the underpass where the pavement already is showing signs of degradation and where the road is cut off by flood water when there is heavy rainfall.
The Parish Council also is miffed that it was not invited to participate in the talks with Refer, even though they have led to nothing.
Refer has offered to widen the pedestrian path that runs alongside the road underpass but in reality nothing will happen as nothing has been signed, no plans have been proposed and anyway, people do not want a wider path, they want the old pedestrian crossing re-established.
While nothing is progressing between Refer and the city council, the crossing remains closed and the council has much local support in pushing for a court review of Refer’s unilateral decision to block off a crossing on safety grounds where there has never been an accident, or even a near miss.
It is not beyond the wit of man to install additional safety equipment, if Refer is so keen on safety, and in Faro and Tavira this already has happened.
So it is up to a parish council with scant resources to take on the thoughtless national rail company whose arrogance to date has been indicative of its attitude to the 'little people' who now have had enough.
The parish council is to 'consider recourse to the courts, to have restored the legality and justice that our people deserve,’ pointing out that reopening the crossing will save the rail company tens of thousands of euros.
While this situation continues a new breach has been made further along the railway line but still in Olhão where the fences have been cut and removed, as has the razor wire strung along the side of the railway line – another Refer ‘safety measure.’
