The Algarve’s mayors group AMAL is to initiate a road safety plan concentrating on the EN125 ‘road of death’ to reduce accidents and fatalities.
As the Via do Infante motorway seems set to remain a tolled road, pushing thousands of cars an hour onto the over-burdened EN125 ‘alternative route,’ the Algarve’s 16 council mayors are to develop an Intermunicipal Plan for Road Safety, which aims to reduce road accidents.
The resulting document will be a collaboration between AMAL and the National Road Safety Authority. Both will sign a protocol on Monday in a ceremony that will be attended by the Secretary of State for Internal Affairs, Jorge Gomes.
In addition to measures to reduce accidents, the plan will include "the identification and analysis of critical points in order to present solutions in order to reduce risk."
"The estimated increase of 10% in deaths and 7.5% in accidents with casualties recorded between 2014 and 2015 is associated with the growth of the road network and the number of vehicles in circulation reflects the urgency for a joint initiative from several entities, as well as a shared responsibility in order to make the roads safe for drivers and for pedestrians,” read today’s announcement.
Currently around 200,000 traffic violation fines are not being processed, giving those drivers displaying scant regard to the rules of the road a good chance of escaping punishment.
The Secretary of State for Internal Affairs Jorge Gomes announced earlier this week that radar speed traps will be fully functional “in the first quarter of next year.”
Gomes admitted that there will only be 50 radar speed trap systems in the entire country with the first of 30 new ones being installed as from this September.
It is not known where in the Algarve, if at all, these cameras will be located but once they are identified, many drivers will slow down when in range and speed off afterwards.
