The Vasco da Gama Bridge will have average speed control radars starting from June 15th, according to the announcement made by the National Republican Guard (GNR).
The GNR and Lusoponte, the concessionaire of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, signed a cooperation protocol on Wednesday for the operation of speed control devices on the bridge, which spans the Tagus River and connects the districts of Lisbon and Setúbal.
“The high traffic intensity, frequent congestion, and road accidents, often severe due to speeding, demonstrate the need and importance of implementing proactive safety measures on the Vasco da Gama Bridge”, said the GNR in a statement.
The control and enforcement of average speed on the road will be carried out through the operation of the speed camera, with its activation scheduled for 00:00 on the next Saturday.
According to the GNR’s note, tests were conducted for three months, controlling over 100,000 vehicles and recording 275 very serious offenses, ranging from 181 to 277 km/h. In addition, 1,109 serious offenses (from 151 to 180 km/h) and 23,601 minor offenses (from 121 to 150 km/h) were also recorded.
The GNR also mentioned that the highest speed recorded during the testing phase on the Vasco da Gama Bridge was 277 km/h.
In the statement, the GNR advises drivers to “comply with the legally established speed limits, adjust the speed to weather conditions, road conditions, and traffic volume, and avoid maneuvers that may cause traffic congestion or accidents in any way”, as well as to adopt “attentive, cautious, and defensive driving, contributing to the reduction of road accident rates”.
