Mayor wants to tackle hectic traffic in the centre of town
Albufeira town council is considering regulating the pick-up and drop-off of passengers in the town centre during the summer by passenger transport vehicles with ride-hailing (TVDE) licences, the local mayor told Lusa.
José Carlos Rolo says the municipality must tackle the hectic traffic in the centre of Albufeira during the busiest months of the year.
According to the mayor, the proposal “is not yet well defined”, but the aim is to prevent ride-hailing vehicles (TVDE) from dropping off and picking up passengers in the town centre.
The town council could approve the measure before the start of the bathing season on May 15, added José Carlos Rolo.
“I’m considering whether it should be on May 1 or May 15, which is when the bathing season starts,” said the mayor.
Rolo also recalled that, legally, vehicles with a TVDE licence cannot simply drop off or pick up passengers by stopping in the middle of the road.
“From May until September, alternatives have to be found so that people can circulate and not be faced with obstacles when there is a lot of traffic,” explained the mayor, whose municipality concentrates around half of the region’s hotels.
He also stressed that a significant portion of the vehicles contributing to the town’s hectic traffic are TVDE vehicles.
“It’s not good for traffic because it doesn’t flow,” he said, emphasising that Portugal’s laws allow TVDE vehicles from other parts of the country to work in the Algarve.
As he explained, many TVDE drivers travel to the Algarve during the summer or peak periods, such as Easter, to work in the region. This increases the volume of vehicles dropping off and picking up passengers in downtown Albufeira and causes delays and difficulties in traffic circulation.
Taxis, on the other hand, have “completely different rules”, the mayor said, creating an unbalanced playing field. Municipalities effectively have their hands tied, he explained, because this is a matter that has to be dealt with by central government.
“While a taxi has to be confined to the municipal quota, it has to compete in an open public tender, TVDEs do not. TVDEs come from anywhere in the country and work anywhere in the country. They have a completely different kind of freedom. I’m not saying it’s good or bad. It’s different, completely different,” he said.
Albufeira town council is, therefore, considering “regulating traffic” in the downtown area in an “experiment” that will be defined in the proposal that the mayor hopes to be able to bring to the council for approval in time for it to come into force in May.
Source: LUSA
michael.bruxo@portugalresident.com
