Algarve mobility plan targets car dependence as insured vehicles rise 36% in nine years

The Algarve's intermunicipal body, AMAL, held the first regional public session of its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan in Faro on 13 October. Its diagnosis finds heavy reliance on cars, patchy public transport and poor links between services. Insured light vehicles rose from 288,000 to 391,000 between 2016 and 2025. Consultants say ending A22 tolls in 2025 boosted driving, and flag more rail on the Faro–Lagos axis as a priority. Road injury crashes reached 2,363 in 2024, up 10%. The diagnosis is nearly finished; scenarios and an action plan come next, with public surveys and a website open to residents.