Africa-Press – Cape verde. The island of Sal now has a new pedestrian street, Toi Pedro, in Espargos. If for some, the work now inaugurated and came to give a new face to the city, others consider that there were “more urgent” issues, such as the recovery of the road that connects the two cities, Santa Maria and Espargos.
In general, people from Sal have a positive opinion of the newest pedestrian street on the island, “Toi Pedro”, in Espargos, emphasizing that it is a structuring work that will bring a new dynamic to the center of that city.
For Paulina Brito, the street is well structured and will certainly beautify the city, but “it took a long time, as usual”, to get off the ground.
As for Ay Delgado, an artist and social activist on the island, the pedestrian path was “spectacular”. “This street will be very useful and will bring a new dynamic to the central area of Espargos, I hope that other areas of the island will be contemplated with works of the kind”, she emphasizes.
As the pedestrian street is connected to Praça dos Espargos, it becomes a very interesting place for leisure, in the opinion of Vânia Spínola: “It is an excellent place for family outings, children can play safely and the work makes the city even prettier”.
In general, and even more so because it pays homage to an emblematic commercial figure on the island, Toi Pedro, the new pedestrian walkway has, as everything indicates, “beloved” by the majority of the people of Sal, especially the residents of Espargos, its most direct beneficiaries.
Despite agreeing that the pedestrian crossing is a great initiative, Marlon Dias is, however, more critical. As he says, now more than ever, the “tourist island” needs roads that are “up to par”, referring to the conditions of the expressway that connects Espargos and Santa Maria.
Iven Évora agrees with Marlon and adds: “It is yet another inauguration that many were unable to attend due to the road conditions that connect the two cities”.
The architect and well-known figure on the island, Piduca Brito, said it was “another inauguration of a work that was not completed”.
For driver Amilton Monteiro, the street looks beautiful, but it makes traffic in the Preguiça area “even more” difficult, now forcing drivers to “play games and risky maneuvers to be able to enter narrow and dangerous alleys” .
southern street
The young Marcelo Santos also understands that the pedestrian crossing, at the entrance to the city, has made traffic “extremely difficult” and predicts that “Soon Espargos will be without roads”, while Jonathan Araújo, another young man, jokingly prefers to call the pedestrian street on the “southern street”, where “money was invested which lacks more important and urgent issues for the island and for the people of Sal”.
Rogers Oliveira is even more categorical. He claims that the pedestrian crossing is “unnecessary”, with the aggravating factor of being a “spent and unrecoverable” amount, which could have been used for the maintenance of the city’s sidewalks and the construction of “those that remained to be done”.
He recalled that Espargos lacks vertical signage and the airport and connection roads Espargos/Santa Maria “are in the state they are in”.
Júlio Lopes: “A dream come true”
For Mayor Júlio Lopes, the transformation of Rua “Toi Pedro” into a pedestrian street represents the realization of a dream. Being a native of the island, he draws attention to the symbolism of that central street in Espargos and the importance of the late merchant, now honored, through the attribution of his name to the second pedestrian walkway on the island.
“Toi Pedro was a friend of the children, a friend of everyone, he helped everyone, he was a tireless man. Giving the name of Toi Pedro to this pedestrian is a great way to honor this man wherever he is”, said Júlio Lopes, when speaking about the important work that the trader carried out on the island, in an event attended by Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva.
“Many dreamed that one day this street would have another quality and we, humbly, were lucky enough to make this great dream come true, carry out the work and reap its fruits”, he added.
Ulisses Correia e Silva preferred, for his part, to remember that the island of Sal has received a lot of attention from the Government and that the new infrastructure is an example of the return of tourism (Fundo do Turismo) to the communities.
The requalification of “Toi Pedro” street, with artistic pavement, green spaces and modern public lighting, resulted from the partnership between the City Council and the Government and is part of the municipal program of urban requalification.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
