It’s going to be interesting to see how this all works, as Ponta Sao Lourenço, has a bus service but still thousands of cars visit there everyday.
The Commercial and Industrial Association of Funchal (ACIF) suggested today the implementation of access control and flow management systems on the busiest routes such as Rabaçal, Queimadas, Pico do Areeiro – Pico Ruivo, through the development of an app.
The application should “provide information to tourists, companies and residents about public transport timetables and possible access shuttles , as well as the list of licensed Travel Agencies and Tourist Entertainment companies that promote tours and activities in nature”.
In the same application, the same entity adds, “it should be possible to consult the expected occupancy rate of the main recommended routes throughout the day, with a real-time report of the flow of people who are at that same time on the most visited routes, and should also, in cases of high traffic, suggest alternative routes or points of interest, thus contributing to the regulation and reduction of pressure”.
In a statement entitled ‘ACIF Contributions – New approach to tourism in RAM’, the association expresses its concern about the massification of the sector and puts forward suggestions that aim to mitigate the impacts of tourism in the most visited places and which have raised several problems.
“We understand that it is essential that, once the period in which the Regional Government was in management has been overcome, with an approved Government Program and Budget, concrete measures begin to be implemented to mitigate the constraints generated by the increase in the number of visitors and to regulate access and conservation of the main points of tourist interest”, argues ACIF.
In the extensive statement, the association recalls that it “presented solutions to control abusive parking at Pico do Areeiro, arguing that it is viable to create 2 or 3 additional parking lots for rent-a-car vehicles, served by a round-trip shuttle service , and that this offer could even be extended to Ribeiro Frio, minimizing traffic problems in that location, which does not have the natural conditions to increase parking capacity”.
From ACIF’s perspective, the “recent announcements of the creation of a car park in the Casa das Sorveiras area, of the public transport link between Funchal and Pico do Areeiro and, more specifically, of the adoption of a shuttle between Poiso and Pico do Areeiro from 5 August, are important and well-intentioned measures. However, without the appropriate restriction on access to light vehicles, they will only contribute to blocking traffic, since, despite occasional control by the Public Security Police, abusive and irregular parking and the lack of parking spaces to accommodate vehicles will continue”.
“It should be noted that, as a rule, tourist transport vehicles are not affected by the existing traffic constraints, and are even the most affected by the difficulties that irregular parking causes them. Therefore, we advocate the placement of control barriers next to the parks that are created, only allowing access to vehicles from duly licensed companies, as well as to residents of the RAM”, he stresses.
Regarding the problems of parking and access to Cais do Sardinha, ACIF suggests that “a similar solution should be found, through the creation of second-line parking lots, identifying places of possible use, and even resorting, in the extreme, to a platform in the Industrial Free Zone for this solution”.
“In terms of health, it is urgent to review and reinforce waste collection processes and the adoption of strategically located support structures, as well as ensuring the maintenance of the natural state of trails and places of tourist interest”, he stresses.
Tourist tax
ACIF-CCIM reinforces that “it has been presenting to the responsible entities a tourist tax model that shares common resources and revenues, but for which the majority of Municipalities have not demonstrated acceptance, namely those with the greatest capacity to generate value”.
“However, given the increase in tourist pressure in their territories and the inherent costs, we consider it possible for Municipal Councils to equitably revert part of the revenue from their municipal tourist tax to a Fund, to which the Regional Government should match the amount, in order to meet the management of the maintenance and organization requirements of places of tourist interest”, adds ACIF.