The Square

[e-richard]

..... Problem is, now the stones on the intersection are breaking up....

Well, while the diggers and workman are on site......


Nah, that's too simple.

[Gambrinus]

duplicate topic merged.

[Dial]

Hi
We have just come back yesterday and the square is a bit of a mess, however the workmen are replacing all the broken slabs, with cobbles, up to smilers. At the moment coming down from Monte Carveoiro the road is now wider in front of the wine shop which, I have to say has been working really well. I really think they should keep this wider gap in front of smilers, pedestrianise the rest of the square opposite which would make it much safer for everyone and tourists and bring back a working fountain as a feature with seating with some decent trees instead of tubs. This would really make a difference to the atmosphere and get back some of the feeling we all fell in love with, however I have a feeling that we will be back to the race track across the middle for Easter!!!

[TomUK]

Looks like they may be getting it right. As I said earlier, I'm sure if they laid more of those chunky grey cobbles (shown in the foreground of Michael's third photo) to carry the traffic, they would be more durable. If they laid a large section of these in front of the wine shop, vehicles could cross here as before and go up the 'out' road or straight on, up Rua do Farol without looping around the square. Make it wide enough and there would also be room for the occasional delivery truck too park. The rest of the square could then pedestrianised without traffic clashing with people. I would think that allowing cars to park in the square again (even those owned by traders) is a backward step and would eat away at the pedestrianised areas and spoil the scene.

It's a pity the Matabixo webcam is no longer available - that always gave a good view of proceedings. The two above O Patio are ok, but a bit restricted. Mind you, the Palacio do Cone camera does point towards the wine shop frontage - it's just a bit small and slow.

[Gambrinus]

. Mind you, the Palacio do Cone camera does point towards the wine shop frontage - it's just a bit small and slow.

Nice subtle hint there.

[SandLake]

I see from the ice cream shop webcam that the barrier coming down into the square has been removed and shortcut accross thge front of Metabixo is now blocked off - has the work finished?

[Gambrinus]

Almost, they are fixing the tiles that broke when the part in front of Matabixo was opened for traffic.

The whole thing will be a never ending building site anyway because cars keep knocking over the pollards. I wonder if anyone at town coucil is keeping track of how many posts have been replaced since they were put in?
At the rate the towns are putting these in the ground only to be knocked down by the hundreds, stainless steel pollard manufacturing is probably the most profitable buisness in the Algarve.

[EMM]

Its got nothing to do with the bollards its the ***** idiots who cannot drive.

At least its only a bit of metal and not flesh and bone thats damaged.

[Gambrinus]

The spacing and placement of the bollards in some places is badly calculated. They have fixed it now, but the passage behind BPI was almost impossible to navigate without mounting the curb or clipping a bollard.

I am all for reserving a safe pedestrian area, but you have to accomodate for larger cars too.

[TomUK]

[quote="Gambrinus"]The whole thing will be a never ending building site anyway because cars keep knocking over the pollards.
[quote]

I think Mr. and Mrs. Pollard should sue. They must be getting totally sick of being knocked down!

[laserblazer]

Pollard should sue

Sue Pollard?

[EMM]

Minor changes under way, on the out road just up from Oasis where the " off loading " parking place is the pots have been moved back about 18in, Hope fully this will mean that those idiots who illegally park there in the summer will not cause the same disruption as last year.

The posts are also being moved in on Smilers corner. Drinkers will be even closer to the exhaust fumes.

One other interesting bit of work underway. The steps down to the cove by the Boteca restaurant are being replaced.

The steps and most of the sand has gone from the small beach.

This is one of our favourite places as we are still fit enough to climb back up. How families with buggies and small children do it I

[bugsey]

I think that the steps are not being replaced but they have raised the walls, all the way down, by two cement blocks. They have been working on them for the last three weeks

[EMM]

We were shown the petition that a certain group of business is getting up to turn the clock back to where it was 2 years ago.
One of the main complaints is the loss of a 100 parking spaces, they forget to say that over 90 new ones have been created at Algar Seco.

Yesterday afternoon almost all of the new seats in the square were occupied with vistors enjoying the sun.

I suppose they could aways sit on the car roofs if this group get its way.

[Lesley Jean]

Well lets hope they don't get anyone to listen to them, the new square is such an improvement, I agree the traffic route is silly and needs looking at but the rest is lovely, it has given the square a cleaner image and as you say there are lots of places to sit down and enjoy watching the world go by. The café's/restaurants on the square look so much better now as well.