“The Mafra City Council has decided to ask the Government to – similarly to what happened in other municipalities in the country, based on demographic growth, combined with the lack of response from the national road network – promote the total downgrading of the A21, with the consequent abolition of tolls, classifying the road as a national road”, reads the motion, which Lusa agency had access to.

This municipality in the district of Lisbon maintains that it was the municipality in the country that “grew the most in the last two Censuses”, going from 50,000 to 90,000 inhabitants in two decades.

In view of demographic growth and the consequent increase in the volume of traffic, and despite the existence of the motorway, national roads 116 and 8 “are completely saturated, registering frequent congestion, translating into long queues, which not only affects the mobility citizens, but also contributes to the reduction of the quality of life of residents in the main urban centres, namely Venda do Pinheiro, Malveira, Mafra and Ericeira”.

According to the municipality, the population increase "has not been accompanied by the proper investment in the expansion of the national road network", so solutions are needed for the "urgent reduction of traffic passing through localities".