MOTORBIKES converged in their thousands on Faro over the past weekend for the annual Bikers Convention. This was arguably one of the busiest weekends on the roads in the Algarve, already starting to heave with holidaymakers in cars trying to understand signs in a country they are not familiar with.
At such a busy time it would seem that all the resources of the BT would be needed patrolling roads, dealing with the inevitable accidents and ensuring the safety of those who have had the misfortune or breaking down.
So why did they choose on Friday morning at 08.30 to set up a check point for goods vehicles right at the junction between the Lisbon road and the motorway? The Lisbon road is a the favourite route from the north of Portugal as there are no tolls on it and even at this time a large number of motorcyclists were on this road.
With a patrol car and two police motorbikes parked at the side of the road, whilst the officers pulled in these commercial vehicles, some very large and cumbersome for checks – presumably on paperwork as there did not appear to be any roadside weighbridge – other vehicles jostled for the remaining positions on the road. Inevitablly there was a degree of ‘rubber necking’ – was it an accident? What had happened?
It seems that commonsense is not prevailing in the hierarchy of the BT. The police authorities come under enough criticism in this country without setting themselves up for even more.
