Friday, August 19, 2005
On Your Bike...
In a bid to promote a more ecological outlook on local residents, the authorities in Vila Real do S António, on Algarve's south-eastern extreme, are to ban motor vehicles from the town for part of September (2005).
I'll be interested to see (since we're planning to be in Algarve around then) how it works.
My impression of Portugal has always been that it's even more committedly car-mad than the UK.
The idea of all the petrol-heads unable to get their daily fix of fumes, furore and free-for-all is an amusing one...
Apparently, it's linked to European Mobility Week (starts 16 September), though many who routinely travel by motor car might wonder how ending up with less travel choices squares with that!
Disregarding the unfortunately inappropriate name for the event, I will make sure I'm in Vila Real to see it happen. It'll be lovely to walk about without having to watch out for kamikaze drivers.
(Of course, I'll have to work out how to get there without a car...)
But Nev'll be keen to wolf down another of his favourite artichoke-topped pizzas at O Corocao de Cidade (details on my site's Favourite Restaurants page).
I suppose if the ban is adopted more widely, it might even be safe to consider cycling to Vila Real...
I'll watch for developments before I make the final decision on travel arrangements.
