Saturday Evening GNR Activity

Concerned Guest · Post by **Concerned Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:48 pm

There seemed to be a lot of GNR and paramedis flying around on Sturday evening .Plus Estrada do Farol was closed from outside Chef Antonio's for some time. I hope it was nothing too serious and those involved are OK.

Bruxinha · Post by **Bruxinha** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:49 pm

Unfortunately, yes. A woman was killed on the Estrada do Farol by a motorbike and 2 other pedestrians injured.

Bruxinha · Post by **Bruxinha** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:53 pm

Here is the article in Correio da Manhã:

http://www.correiomanha.pt/noticia.asp? ... al=10&p=94

John1 · Post by **John1** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:59 pm

Hi Bruxy,
Thanks for that link. I was wondering why there was so many sirens on Saturday night! My portuguese is none existent but from that link you provided it looks like there have been 3 deaths in 5 years on the Estrada do Farol to Vale Centeanes road.
Why doesnt somebody build a decent pedestrian footpath on one or both sides of restaurant hill? Or at least close that road off to traffic and only allow delivery vehicles,buses and taxis to use it? It would make it safer for everyone - especially for those in wheelchairs or with children in pushchairs.

heini · Post by **heini** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:28 am

A good start would be to crack down on the people that think the existing sidewalks are for parking their cars. The local GNR could make a fortune in fines!
Perhaps some really good speed bumps may also help.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:24 am

heini wrote:A good start would be to crack down on the people that think the existing sidewalks are for parking their cars. The local GNR could make a fortune in fines!
Perhaps some really good speed bumps may also help.

When I first got to Lisboa, one of my first impressions was how everyone used the sidewalks as parking spaces.
(major culture shock for me....do that in Texas and you're car would be towed away before you could get back to it....it seems to be the national way of parking in Portugal)

Gambrinus · Post by **Gambrinus** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:00 am

The latest news is, that two of the three pedestrians involved in the accident have passed away, one on Saturday night and the second woman yesterday in hospital.

Road safety in Carvoeiro has always been a bit of a hot potato for the last few years, as the number of vehicles and pedestrians increases, the existing infrastructure becomes less and less adequate.
This results in several hotspots around town where you can never be too careful.

1. There is no space to park: Its a fact, Carvoeiro is a small village that provides service to hundreds of thousands of tourists living in the sorrounding areas. The parking areas available are located at the top of steep hills that most people are unwilling to climb after a nice meal in town. The result is cars parked up restaurant hill where there is also the most pedestrian movement.

2. There are no speed bumps and few protection barriers: Cars and bikes can be seen travelling above the posted speed limit around Carvoeiro and there is nothing in place to curb this behaviour. For years the locals have been requesting the elevation of the pedestrian crossings in hopes of achieving the same effects as in places like Alvor, where elevated crossings have significantly reduced the number of speeding vehicles. The question is, how many more people have to die before Lagoa council decides to finally implement this??

3. Although I am not a huge fan of some regulations in effect today, I do beleive that there should be a limit to the amount of horsepower per ton that a 21-year-old is allowed to throw around public streets. The accident on Saturday is a clear example of how over-confidence and under estimated power can lead to disaster.

The 600cc bike put out enough torque to catapult itself and its driver up restaurant hill reaching an estimated speed of 110Kmh within several hundred meters. When a careless pedestrian stepped out from the narrow sidewalk, the young driver did not posess the reaction or experience (aside from the fact, that he was driving about 80kmh above the posted speed limit) to avoid clipping the pedestrian sending her flying onto the sidewalk. He lost the bike which then turned into a several hundred kilo heavy projectile.
The two women crossing the road a little further up did not see it coming. The bike smashed into them with with such force, that is broke in half when it hit a parked car directly behind the crossing. The woman trapped between the car and the bike was killed instantly, the second woman was dragged along the street another 20 meters by what was left of the bike.

The pilot of the bike did not sustain heavy injuries and was sent home from hospital the following morning. The police are investigating the accident - with several dozen witnesses standing or sitting by the roadside, it would not surprise me, if they turned this accident into an exemplary case.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:12 am

Can't agree about the lack of experience seeing as the young man in question ALWAYS rode his bike around Carvoeiro at that speed, everytime he rode past someone said "He's going to have a bad accident one day", so sad that others were involved

Gambrinus · Post by **Gambrinus** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:25 am

Anonymous wrote:Can't agree about the lack of experience seeing as the young man in question ALWAYS rode his bike around Carvoeiro at that speed, everytime he rode past someone said "He's going to have a bad accident one day", so sad that others were involved

But then you would have to agree, that he was not experienced enough to recognize the dangers of a crowded street and reduce his speed.
A powerful bike in the wrong hands is a weapon and flaunting speed and acceleration through an urban area, well, that just plain stupidity.

I know many experienced bikers who shake their heads at these kids, moreso because they will also feel the sting of tougher regulations that this behaviour can provoke.

Michael Crane · Post by **Michael Crane** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:19 am

If this idiot on the bike had killed my wife or child or mother or any of my family I'd want him dead.

Pity he survived.

Gambrinus · Post by **Gambrinus** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:30 am

...and what if I told you, that he has to help his mother make a living because she lost her husband last year? ....and that if you stick him in jail, she will be left with nobody and will have to work overtime cleaning houses so be able to pay for her crummy apartment and feed herself? Still want him dead or in jail for life?

Sharen Crane · Post by **Sharen Crane** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:35 am

Dead or in jail she will still be left with nothing G!

If he constantly rode his bike with little concern for pedestrians or other road users he deserves no sympathy at all!

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:36 am

THe answer in CVO is to close off the main sreets to traffic at night ,Certainly during the season.
VEHICLES and Pedestruians DO NOT MIX particularly when it is late at night and one or both have been drinking.
ALthough NOT in this case I hope.

Michael Crane · Post by **Michael Crane** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:36 am

.and what if I told you, that he has to help his mother make a living because she lost her husband last year? ....and that if you stick him in jail, she will be left with nobody and will have to work overtime cleaning houses so be able to pay for her crummy apartment and feed herself? Still want him dead or in jail for life?

Why not? Does having a dependent relative make it OK to behave as he did? What about the relatives of the three people he killed?

If he cared so much about his mother then perhaps he could have sold his bike and given her the money.

Michael Crane · Post by **Michael Crane** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:39 am

Where (on the Free Map) is the location of the accident?