Circling on the Via do Infante (A22) will be cheaper for goods vehicles. The Government approved, in the special Council of Ministers, on 14 July, “a complementary regime for the reduction of toll rates”, which covers the country's interior highways, within the scope of the National Program for Territorial Cohesion.
This toll reduction It had already been advanced by Pedro Siza Vieira, assistant minister, in an interview he gave to the main regional newspapers in the country, among them the Sul Informação.
According to a note from the Ministry of Planning and Infrastructure, this reduction “particularly benefits economic activity, by increasing discounts for companies based in the interior. In this way, the competitiveness of low-density territories and cross-border connections is promoted».
The Government recalls that, "in August 2016, all users of motorways located in these territories started to have a 15% discount." Now, with the approved measure, "discounts are added for goods vehicles of classes 2, 3 and 4, which will be 15% during the day and 20% at night (20:00 to 08:00) and on weekends. weekend'.
Goods vehicles, including class 1 vehicles, of companies based in low-density territories will also have a further 25% discount, at any time, «in addition to the discounts already in force and those that will now be applied to goods vehicles'.
In other words, stresses the Ministry of Planning and Infrastructure, «vehicles from low-density municipalities will benefit from discounts on the motorways covered, which can reach 80% compared to what is practiced in most motorways».
This measure “should fall under the “minimis” rule, under which only support not exceeding 200 thousand euros can be granted for a period of 3 years (100 thousand euros for companies that develop activities in the road transport sector )”, adds the ministry.
These toll reductions "comply with the purposes of promoting territorial cohesion and the competitiveness of the Interior included in the Government's Program and developed in the National Program for Territorial Cohesion (PNCT) and in the National Program for Spatial Planning Policy (PNPOT)" .
The approval of these reductions in the Council of Ministers, which took place in Pampilhosa da Serra, comes a few days after a new vote in the Assembly of the Republic on a Draft Resolution of the Left Block that proposes the abolition of tolls on Via do Infante.
This is the seventh proposal that the Parliamentary Group of the Left Bloc presents in this legislature, including in the State Budgets. All previous proposals were made impossible by PS, PSD and CDS.
This Blocist project, which goes to vote on 18 July, «in addition to the proposal to urgently eliminate tolls in the Algarve, also recommends that the Government immediately proceed with the redevelopment of the EN125, between Vila Real de Santo António and Olhão (second proposal in this legislature), and the correction of horizontal signage on some rehabilitated sections of the EN125, between Olhão and Vila do Bispo».
The Left Bloc considers "regrettable and very sad the partisan quarrels that have been taking place in recent days between the PSD and the PS in the region, with mutual accusations, regarding the lack of upgrading of the EN125 in Sotavento/Algarve", after the Court of Auditors refused to review the contract for the Algarve Litoral sub-concession.
For the blocistas, “this whole sorry saga is related to the mess that was the revision of the initial contract undertaken in 2015 by the previous PSD/CDS government. But the current government is also very bad in the picture, as it has not provided the necessary clarifications to the Court of Auditors in due time. The PSD as well as the PS are thus to blame for this whole negative situation!».
The Left Block says that “users and populations are the ones who suffer the most, who are slow to see the complete requalification of the EN125. Along with tolls, all this has increased road accidents, with many fatalities and serious injuries».
Although this Draft Resolution is approved, nothing guarantees the abolition of tolls, since it is only a recommendation to the Government.
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