Local citizens are vehemently opposing proposed mobility plan
A contentious debate has erupted in Tavira over a proposed Sustainable Mobility Plan (abbreviated to PMSCT in Portuguese). Commissioned by the municipal council, the plan is being targeted by local citizens for its potential impact on cherished green spaces and cultural landmarks.
At the centre of the controversy is the council’s plan to carve out space for increased car traffic, potentially sacrificing the iconic Coreto, Corredoura, and Alagoa gardens.
Additionally, the resurrection of a long-abandoned plan to construct a road through the Agricultural Experimentation Centre of Tavira (CEAT) – which received an unfavourable environmental impact statement carried out four years ago by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) – has also sparked concern.
Leading the opposition is Associação Ecotopia Activa, which has been vocal in its opposition to the proposed PMSCT. In a statement to the press, it argues that it is an “outdated plan that disregards the current models of sustainable urban mobility” and “neglects matters of public health, climate, pollution, water resources, and social cohesion,” having been created without the participation of local citizens.
The plan also goes against the directives of the European Commission and Parliament for Sustainable Urban Development, says the association, as well as the European Green Deal’s objectives to reduce automobile traffic in city centres.
Making matters even worse is the rushed timeline for the plan’s public consultation process, which was only announced on Wednesday (March 13) on the council’s Facebook page and gives citizens until next Thursday (March 21) to log their opinions on the matter. One citizen commented on the post that “(…) structural projects of this complexity cannot be analysed in just over one week (…)”, while the association claims that “the deadline makes it impossible for most people to truly participate.”
One particularly worrying aspect of the plan for local citizens is the renewed attempt to build a road through CEAT – an iconic municipal infrastructure that they believe should be protected.
Says Ecotopia Ativa, the centre “represents and has been defended as a strategic project for the town and the region, serving as a privileged centre for the promotion of the Mediterranean Diet.”
In fact, there are plans to set up “a Mediterranean Diet farm and interpretation centre at CEAT, as well as experimental/research fields, an Earth Museum and continue recovery and preserving ‘forgotten traditional varieties’ of Mediterranean species in the region.”
However, the association fears that the entire CEAT runs the risk of “irreversible destruction” if the so-called mobility plan is approved.
“The plan to build the PN 371+317 road, which will run for 608 meters through predominantly agricultural areas (orchards, vineyards, and uncultivated areas), most of them located in CEAT, will destroy the unique character of this space that has been part of Tavira’s identity since 1926,” Ecotopia Ativa says, adding that the road is not included in Tavira’s Municipal Master Plan, which has been in force for four years.
The association has pitched an alternative route for the road which bypasses the CEAT property and which it says maintains the objectives of “increasing peripheral traffic circulation or creating a new railway level crossing.”
On a closing note, the association summed up its main gripes with the plan.
“This plan does not present any improvements for the city; instead, it suggests several interventions that do not reflect the needs of Tavira: MORE cars, MORE insecurity, and a decrease in the quality of the urban landscape in the town centre. It is NOT a sustainable mobility project; it is lacking in its foundation and goes against the very Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it invokes. Furthermore, in this proposal, there was NO consultation with the true users: the people who daily use the central spaces of the town, including businesses and residents of Tavira,” it says.
The association also urges the council to extend the public consultation process beyond the March 21 deadline.
