Dear Editor,
The EN125 is completely unsuitable and impracticable to upgrade for the fast through traffic and commercial juggernauts that use it to avoid toll fees. This traffic must be diverted to the A22 which was built for that purpose. The completion of the Faro bypass is an invitation for traffic, leaving the bypass at motorway speeds, to use the EN125 east of Faro instead of feeding to the A22.
Conditions on the eastern EN125 constitute a social problem with serious risks to local users; this is the only east-west route for all the small communities, hamlets and residences that lie just to the north and south.
There are numerous junctions from which bicycles, scooters, three-wheelers, horses and carts, pedestrians, busses and cars etc. access their only main road; not to mention the hikers, bikers, motorhomes and tourists seeking the hidden havens of the Algarve. All at grave risk from the manic behaviour of toll dodgers and other irresponsible drivers. Innocent people are paying with their lives!
Enforcing traffic calming by downgrading the EN125 to domestic and touring status, improving road-marking and diverting through traffic to the A22 would relieve this. The maximum speed for this entire stretch should be reduced to 70kph and lesser limits wherever needed, a strict ban on the highly dangerous practices of overtaking using the hard shoulder, speeding, no lights, tailgating and similar risky manoeuvres, rigidly enforced by the GNR with on the spot fines.
The government can use the revenue to offset costs and a social evil will be eliminated at no expense. If this saves just one life it will be worth it!
Peter R.M. Purkiss
Fuzeta
