Drivers will be encouraged to honk their horns on A22 to mark the occasion
CUVI – the anti-toll group which opposed the introduction of tolls on the Algarve’s A22 motorway for over a decade- has called a ‘buzinão’ (honking demonstration) to mark the long-awaited abolishment of tolls on the motorway on January 1.
The event urges drivers to honk their horns from 10am to 12pm and 4pm to 6pm on the main roads that access Algarve towns, on the A22 motorway access roads and along the entirety of the motorway, also known as Via do Infante.
“The fight is not over,” CUVI stresses in a statement. “What we now demand is the disassembly, without delay, of all the toll gateways along the Via do Infante, in order to stop the temptation of any government wanting to impose tolls again.”
A new attempt to introduce tolls on the motorway “would never be accepted by the Algarve and would be fought without reservations,” the group says, adding that the “obscure and ruinous contract with the private concessionaire which has already cost the State dozens of millions of euros” should also be revoked.
The statement followed a lunch organised by CUVI in Faro on December 8, which brought together several of the leading members of the group, formed after the tolls were imposed 13 years ago on December 8, 2011.
The tolls on the A22 were criticised for increasing road accidents on the alternative EN125 route, known locally as the “road of death” and the only toll-free road which connects the Algarve from east to west. CUVI has also highlighted the economic consequences of the tolls, such as rising unemployment, business closures, and reduced competitiveness with neighbouring Andalusia.
“The private concessionaire also profited heavily at the expense of taxpayers for years on end,” CUVI notes.
CUVI’s efforts to convince multiple governments to end the tolls over the years included a wide range of actions, such as slow marches and honking protests on the A22 and EN125; petitions to Parliament signed by thousands; meetings with political leaders, including António Costa in 2015 before he became Prime Minister; memorials placed along the EN125 to honour victims of accidents; regional and cross-border collaborations with Andalusian organisations, culminating in the signing of a manifesto in Huelva; and high-profile demonstrations, including protests near the holiday homes of the Prime Minister and President of Portugal.
The group’s goal was finally achieved through the approval of Law 37/2024 in parliament in August, which abolishes tolls on the Algarve’s A22 motorway and other ex-SCUT motorways, including A4 – Transmontana and Túnel do Marão; A13 and A13-1 – Pinhal Interior; A23 – Beira Interior; A24 – Interior Norte; A25 – Beiras Litoral and Alta; and A28 – Litoral Norte, specifically on the stretches between Esposende and Antas, and between Neiva and Darque.
The law was approved against the wishes of the AD government, which voted against the proposal but was overruled by votes in favour from PS, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP, Livre, PAN, and Chega.
