The Mayor of Portimão has announced the temporary exemption of toll taxes to the citizens of the city. This decision has been taken due to traffic jams at the toll center. The past few days have seen lines of traffic waiting to cross the poll of Portimão.
Mayor Calls For Temporary Toll Exemption
The situation at the toll center had been much worse in the past few days. Traffic always piles up due to work under progress around the ER125 bridge in Portimão. The mayor of Portimão, Álvaro Bila has announced for toll exemption which is a temporary measure taken to solve this issue. This will help more than 12000 people who travel due to their work obligations. Álvaro wants people to use the A22 between the Portimão and Lagoa.
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Álvaro wants all the drivers to take the A22 motorway on their way to work. This motorway is located between Portimão and Lagoa. The commuters should take this route till the end of the year. This is why the mayor has decided to make this route toll-free. This toll will end on 1st January 2025. This decision has been made to support the commuters who travel through this path on a daily basis.
The mayor of Portimão, Álvaro Bila has sent a letter to the minister of housing and infrastructure, Miguel Pinto. Bila stated in his letter that there have been problems in traffic routes due to the infrastructure works taking place near the ER125 bridge. He told the Minister that the work constraints are being faced much more than they were predicted. It has been observed that longer queues are taking place at the work route rather than the alternate route designed to avoid the work under progress. This is why those distances that take 20 minutes are now taking three or four times the time. He stated:
[Traffic issue is] great inconvenience to the population, and damage to the local economy.
Alternate Routes Should Be Used By Commuters
Bila has expressed his concerns about the whole traffic situation in the area. He believes that the work near the ER125 bridge will soon be over. For the time being, all commuters should take alternate routes to their workplaces. He also emphasized the importance of this renovation work near the bridge. This will be a connection to Portimão Hospital which will be used by the emergency services of the hospital. He stated:
[Work under construction] is an essential access to Portimão Hospital, aggravating traffic problems and compromising emergency response and safe access to healthcare.
Mayor Stresses Toll Exemption Is The Only Solution
The mayor also explained that the traffic which is diverted into the center of the city has caused some disturbance on roads. This has increased travel times by two or three times in the city. It has also created some issues for the drivers who are frustrated to spend so much time on the road. His solution is to exempt the toll taxes for the time being until the work is completed. His official statement reads:
Although we recognize the importance of these interventions to guarantee the safety and maintenance of the infrastructure, it is my conviction, shared by the population of the municipality, that the exemption of tolls on the stretch of the A22 between Portimão and Lagoa, in both directions and during the period of the works, would contribute significantly to reducing traffic, facilitating access to the hospital, the city, and neighboring municipalities.
There has been no reply from the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto as of now. It is expected that soon he will reply to the mayor with a decision which is better for the citizens of Portugal.
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