Tuk-Tuk, No Porto
After all, restriction on tourist vehicles and occasional service buses in the Historic Center of Porto will be suspended to all operators following the decision of the Administrative and Tax Court (TAF).
The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, announced Wednesday the suspension of restrictions on all tourist vehicles in downtown Porto.
At issue is the pilot project to restrict the traffic of tourist vehicles that drew on October 1, 2024 and restricted the circulation of tourist vehicles.
Only a tourist train and two-story Hop-On, hop-offs’ could circulate in a delimited area in downtown Porto, under municipal licenses. Tuk-tuks and occasional service tourist buses were prevented from circulating.
Rui Moreira was surprised
However, the TAF of Porto accepted the precautionary action interposed by 12 tour operators against the municipality of Porto, having determined the suspension of restrictions on the historic center for these companies. To journalists, Rui Moreira said that this was “the first [decisão] unfavorable to the municipality”After five, they have been res judicata, they decided to the House.
“We were not waiting for this outcome Also because the decision has been contrary, ”he said, adding, however, that the municipality will appeal, even if the appeal has no suspensive effects.
“Although this decision today has its effects limited to the 12 authors, we understand that this cannot mean the attribution of any monopoly in the city of Porto,” he said, saying that “other measures” will be taken.
What measures can they come?
Although the new measures have not been designed, the mayor gave as possible examples: Restrict circulation on certain streets, condition access on certain days of the week or schedules and determine parking and passenger passenger locations.
“We have to start from scratch, we have to do ‘reset’. Doing ‘reset’, we now need to hear the municipal departments, the Municipal Police and think how we can implement other measures that somehow mitigate this problem we have, ”added the mayor.
“Chaos” in traffic will come back?
About the pilot project, in a course of just over three months, Rui Moreira said it allowed “A transit calm” and lamented that the court’s decision incites “to chaos”.
“From now on, anyone who wants to operate ‘tuk-tuks’ can operate,” he said.
In TAF’s decision, dated Tuesday, the judge claims that it is not possible to “conclude that the existence of a predominant damage to the public interest that implies the refusal of the providence.”
The 12 companies presented a precautionary action against the municipality to suspend the effectiveness of the competition for the assignment of five licenses to explore tourist circuits and to ensure the free circulation of tourist vehicles in the restriction zone.
Also the competition for the assignment of five tourist circuits exploration licenses is suspended, Moreira added.
Vised companies want apology
Today, in statements to Lusa, the administrator of the WildBloomone of 12 carriers with vehicles up to nine places-‘tuk-tuks’, ‘buggies’, ‘transfer’ vans-which brought the action, said that with this decision, the court “gives reason” to companies.
“The damages that have already been caused and that would be caused if there was no such decision would be irreparable,” said Alex Dominguez Ramos.
“We are still available to find a solution, because we know there are problems in traffic, but I don’t think there would be bad for an apology [da câmara]“He added.
