Lagoa mayor Francisco Martins was the only Algarve representative at the Lisbon Mobi Summit (September 13 and 14) and used the opportunity to slam the region’s public transport network, saying it offers no alternative to owning a car.
“In the Algarve, we are forced to have our own means of transport. There is no effective alternative,” said the Algarve mayor at the summit attended by a panel of national and international experts who were to discuss urban mobility and new challenges.
He explained that the reality of public transport in Lisbon is different to the Algarve.
“The Algarve is about 160 kilometres, from Sagres to Vila Real de Santo António. To travel, say, 60 kilometres between Portimão and Faro, by train or bus, will take you two hours; if you go by car using the EN125, it will take you an hour and a half.”
Said Martins, this is the result of “a lack of investment over many, many years”.
The mayor also commented on the MOBI.E project, a charging network in some cities and towns that uses electricity from renewable sources to charge electric vehicles.
As he pointed out, the project aimed to have two chargers per borough, which was later scaled down to one and “today there are none”.
Martins also targeted the government, urging for more investment in mobility in the region.
The Algarve, he said, welcomes around two million people in the summer months, way above its usual population of 450,000, and borders Spain. This alone, he says, is a good motive for government officials to consider investing in the Algarve.
