The resolution, approved unanimously on Friday and to which the Lusa agency had access today, states that the Intermunicipal Assembly of CIMRL decided to recommend to the Assembly of the Republic to carry out "the necessary steps to apply an exemption from tolls" on Motorway 19 (the Variante da Batalha to Complementary Itinerary 2, 13.3 kilometers) and on the "sections between Marinha Grande Sul and Leiria Sul" of Motorway 8, these with a length of 13.9 kilometers.

The Intermunicipal Assembly is a deliberative body composed of members belonging to the municipal assemblies of the municipalities that are part of CIMRL (Alvaiázere, Ansião, Batalha, Castanheira de Pera, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Pedrógão Grande, Pombal and Porto de Mós).

The resolution recalls that on May 2, the "parliament approved in general terms the PS bill to eliminate tolls on the so-called ex-SCUT [tolls without costs for the user]".

According to the document, the bill "aims to end tolls on the A4 - Transmontana and Marão Tunnel, A13 and A13-1 - Pinhal Interior, A22 - Algarve, A23 - Beira Interior, A24 - Interior Norte, A25 - Beiras Litoral and Alta, and A28 -- Minho, on the sections between Esposende and Antas and between Neiva and Darque".

The bill argues, among other aspects, that "the progressive reduction of toll rates has been a commitment of the PS, in the perspective of territorial cohesion, reducing the burden on those who have no alternative and providing access to essential goods and services", the resolution states.

The Intermunicipal Assembly of CIMRL recalls that Motorway 19 (A19) was an infrastructure created to divert vehicle traffic from Complementary Itinerary 2 (National Road 1) from the front area of the Batalha Monastery, "promoting the protection and enhancement" of that World Heritage monument.

Stating that the municipalities of the region, in particular Batalha, have demanded "equal treatment in the adoption of a toll exemption regime in force on Motorway A19", namely for heavy goods vehicles, the deputies of the Intermunicipal Assembly note that "recent studies on the conservation of the Batalha Monastery confirm worrying signs of degradation", as a result of the transit of heavy vehicles on the IC2, since the A19 (Porto de Mós-Batalha-Leiria) "does not fulfill its purpose".

On the other hand, the resolution describes that National Road 242, which connects the cities of Marinha Grande and Leiria, "is used intensively by light and heavy vehicles that gravitate around the activity of molds and glass, registering daily during peak periods about 15 kilometers of continuous queue".

"As an alternative to the constraints of excessive traffic and with consequences of an environmental nature and preservation of cultural heritage, currently existing on the EN1, on the connection between Porto de Mós, Batalha and Leiria, and on the EN 242, between Marinha Grande and Leiria, for several years and by various political forces, the exemption from tolls has been claimed" on the A19 and on the sections between Marinha Grande Sul and Leiria Sul of the A8, a claim that the Intermunicipal Assembly considers "fair, not only for heavy vehicles, but also for light vehicles".

For the Assembly, "the exemptions from tolls on these sections would allow, on the one hand, to relieve traffic on the detour roads EN 1 and EN 242", as well as "saving time and also environmental damage by driving on a shorter and less congested route", fulfilling the "preservation goal" of the Batalha Monastery.

Read Also: APC criticizes the elimination of tolls and reminds: Who pays is the taxpayer (Portuguese version)