"With the tolls (which are the most expensive here) and without the variant, traffic in Odiáxere will be even more chaotic, dangerous and a bad sign for a territory that is intended to be attractive, competitive, safe, and with convenient accessibility," said Júlio Barroso, mayor of Lagos, regarding the cancellation of the construction of four of the EN125 variants.
The socialist mayor considers the Abandonment of the Odiáxere Variant work as "another disregard and abandonment by the government in relation to this westernmost Barlavento".
And he says: «We were the last to receive the Via do Infante; we waited from 1992 to 2003 – 11 years, therefore, of discrimination in terms of accessibility with an obvious impact on the development and economy of companies, families and citizens. There were supposed to be no tolls. Afterwards, there were supposed to be tolls only after the requalification of the EN 125. Now we have tolls and the redevelopment of the EN125 is a mirage».
«The municipality of Lagos and the other “Terras do Infante” (Aljezur and Vila do Bispo) will continue to suffer the effect of the periphery: more distant, more expensive, with more uncomfortable and insecure accessibility. In short, once again forgotten and mistreated by the governments of Lisbon that promise with one hand and take with two…», adds Júlio Barroso.
In addition, adds the mayor of Lagos, «given the peripheral location of this territory, because practically everything comes from abroad, those who live here are burdened with transport costs that increase with tolls, bottled and dangerous roads, generating more risks and travel times (which is all money)».
On the other hand, he stresses, “what is produced here also has increased costs to compete in global markets. The absence of quick, convenient, safe and cheap accessibilities is also an obstacle to the flow of visitors, fundamental for giving work to our main activity, tourism. There is also discredit, distrust of the state and government officials in general that “sometimes ring, now they ring…”»
For all these reasons, the mayor of Lagos emphasizes that «this measure represents yet another disregard and abandonment of the Algarve and the Algarve».
“The apparently good measure of management is nothing more than a blind and inconsequential cut. Citizens will not understand a State that only has to give paid or unsafe roads,” he adds.
«If Via do Infante has already had the traffic reduction it had, now without the exemptions it will be in the dust. If the EN125 was a symbol of inefficiency, disregard for the lives of people and companies, without the programmed variants, the improvements of truncated requalification will be very insufficient».
«This attitude can only be understood in the logic of the “general impoverishment” that this PSD/CDS Government proclaims to the four winds», concludes the mayor of Lagos.
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