While the number of vehicles taking part in the protest was not particularly high, when added to the volume of cars being driven by local residents and tourists at this time of year, it was enough to cause traffic jams between Vila Real de Santo António and Tavira.
Organisers of the action said the slow march was staged in protest to the recently-announced reduction of 15 percent on the A22’s tolls.
Last week, the government announced that tolls on four previously free motorways would be reduced by 15 percent starting on 1 August.
Prior to the announcement, which many observers feared would not come into force, expectations were that discounts could be around 50 percent.
Following the news, associations set up to promote the interests of motorists, have all ridiculed the discount, arguing it will make little difference to reducing traffic on congested secondary routes and that it was more a token gesture than one of any particular value.
The government explained that the discounts are the result of “mitigating the effects tolls have had on exports and economic activities, such as the transport of merchandise.”