Are the tolls really stoppable?

On average “according to what has been established, it’ll cost around 7 to 8 cents a kilometre to travel on the A22”, explains Vasconcelos, a history teacher from Portimão, aged 54 and member of the left-wing “Bloco de Esquerda” (BE).

He’s one of the leading lights behind the commission for users of the Via do Infante – a group born in October, following the example of other protestors who have joined together in other regions served by SCUT motorways.

This “could be a difficult fight. Maybe an impossible one. Time will tell, but we believe the introduction of motorway tolls in the Algarve will be a death-blow to the local economy”, Vasconcelos explains.

So far, the group has organised two “go slow” protests: one on 8th October, the other on 26th November last year. “In the first, the commission had only been formed for two weeks. We didn’t have any means at our disposal and still we managed to gather hundreds of drivers to support us between Boliqueime and Alcantarilha. They took two hours to drive a distance of around 20 kilometres,” he recalls.

A piddle in the wind? “Actually, I think these protests make a huge contribution” towards bringing the issue to the attention of other authorities. After all, a protest platform against the Via do Infante tolls was only created last 14th of January.

It combines now the forces of AMAL (the community of regional borough councils), five Algarve business associations and two structural unions – all working towards the same goal.

One of the first steps, according to João Vasconcelos, is the creation of a manifesto that will be handed into the Ministry of Public Works very soon.

But before that happens, the document will be publicly presented on 19th February, at 3pm at the headquarters of business association NERA, in Loulé.

It will be an integral part of the debate «Portagens no Algarve – que impacto social e económico?» (Motorway tolls in the Algarve – what social and economic impact?), which will bring together a number of invited experts including Manuel Margarido Tão, from the “Universidade do Algarve” who will present a set of studies on mobility.

According to Vasconcelos, “one of the subjects up for debate is the state of the region’s railway line - which is still in the 19th century and truly doesn’t respond to peoples’ needs”. Without an up-to-date railway, or an EN125 main road in good condition, there really are no alternatives to the A22.

And regarding the much-talked-about toll exemption for residents and local firms, Vasconcelos warns that this is “a fallacy. It will come to nothing as, according to the various politicians involved, exemption will stop when the EN125 is in good condition”. And when will that be?

“Requalification work to the EN125 should be finished by June 2012. In other words, a year from now. But, think about it… they haven’t even started…” Thus, in practice, if motorway tolls are introduced on 15th April (as the Government say they will be), what will happen is an increase in “accidents” and “traffic snarl ups” on the EN125.

And as far as the commission is concerned, “even when it’s upgraded, the EN125 won’t represent a viable alternative. It’ll have a total of 84 roundabouts, with speed-sensor traffic lights and lanes that allow for a maximum of only 50 kilometres an hour in some areas. Thus, it will be very difficult for people – particularly during a time of crisis”.

The commission is determined to keep up protests because “we honestly believe it is not enough to create forums and write manifestos. They’re positive steps, but the fight on the ground is important – for the powers that be to see that the Algarve is angry!”

“We have a march planned for the Eastern Algarve, in the area near the Guadiana bridge. We’ve already been there on a reconnaissance mission, and made contact with some Spanish motorway users, truck drivers, etc. The action will be proposed during our Forum” on 19th February, and, in principle, should take place two weeks later. Another protest on the cards is a legal process.

By the time this story is published, João Vasconcelos will have attended a meeting with Assembly of the Republic’s Public Works Commission (9th February). This means that very soon, Parliament should discuss the public petition with 14.000 signatures demanding an A22 free of tolls (delivered on 5th January).

“When we delivered the petition, we had meetings with all the parliamentary groups. It was rather grotesque, actually”. Why?

“Well the PS said responsibility for the tolls lay with the PSD – as they were the ones that called for the principle of universality for all SCUT highways”… in other words, for the introduction of motorway tolls without exceptions.

“The PSD denied all this. The PS is the party in Government, they said, and it is they who have brought the country to this situation”.

“It was a game of pass-the-parcel. No-one wanted to accept responsibility”, he explained.

“Obviously, we all know that responsibility for the tolls, as much here as on a national level, lies with the governing PS as well as the PSD. It was these parties that negotiated the PEC (plan for economic growth), and they’re responsible for these tolls”.

Indeed, the commission lamented the position of both parties at the Assembly of the Republic on 13th January when they voted AGAINST a Left Bloc motion calling on the Government to suspend tolls on the A22.

“Even worse was the attitude of the deputies in both political camps elected to represent the Algarve. Once again, they both deceived local voters”, claimed the commission after the vote in a press release – referring to deputies Miguel Freitas (PS) and Mendes Bota (PSD).

“Every now and then, when they make a declaration, they excuse themselves on the grounds that they were subject to party whips – but, at the end of the day, they’re elected by the Algarve and therefore should answer the needs of their electorate. It’s very good that the people of the Algarve know now, and in the future, who defends them”, added Vasconcelos.

And what does the commission think about this “principle of universality”. “It’s a nonsense! As far as we’re concerned, no-one should pay these tolls anywhere in the country. All SCUT highways should be free of tolls as they were introduced as roads without costs to the road user precisely in order to combat regional inequalities – and those of the interior. They were created to bring the best and easiest form of development to the country – from north to south”.

“It’s a little medieval, this whole concept of paying for everything. In the old days, if a worker passed over a bridge, he had to pay for it. If he used a mill to grind corn, he had to pay for it. If he used an oven, he had to pay for it. In a way, it looks like we’re returning to a way of life from the past”…