In recent days, a decision by the Slovak government has gone practically unnoticed and has risen directly to the top of the candidates for jokes and memes on the internet. In case the reader hasn’t noticed, here’s the explanation: this country’s parliament approved a rule that limits the speed of pedestrians and cyclists on sidewalks. And do you know what the maximum speed allowed is? Six kilometers per hour. Anyone caught committing fraud will be fined 100 euros, according to news reports about this unusual decision.
According to the news I read, the president of the non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable mobility Cyklokoalicia, Dan Kollar, assures that “at 6 km/h it is difficult to maintain balance, and even children aged three and four regularly exceed this speed on their bicycles”. He added: “The government is creating a situation where children will break the law every day and we will be teaching them that this is acceptable.”
One of the justifications for such a measure defended by the executive led by Prime Minister Robert Fico is statistical data from the police, which recall that 67 pedestrians and 22 cyclists or scooter users died last year in the country. But they do not explain whether they occurred on sidewalks or on the road.
At first reading we smiled at the decision, but the truth is that the matter is serious. Whether on the side of individual freedom or the possible number of accidents and deaths that occur due to not taking the necessary care when traveling (or walking) on sidewalks – remember, for example, that the PSP announced that in the first four months of the year, 623 accidents with users of bicycles and scooters were recorded in Portugal, resulting in 16 serious injuries.
Let’s wait and see the results of this rule, which should come into force on January 1st.
Returning to our country, there is reference to two situations that, unfortunately, are no longer surprising.
1.ª The trial of former Prime Minister José Sócrates has been suspended again, now so that the main accused in Operation Marquês (where he is responsible for 22 crimes, including corruption, money laundering and tax fraud) can hire a lawyer, after Pedro Delille, who has accompanied him since the beginning of the process (in 2014), decided to abandon the defense of the former ruler. With this decision, the trial will be delayed again and, probably, some of the crimes will be closer to statute of limitations.
2.ª It was only after the case of a dermatologist who earned 700,000 euros from additional surgeries became known that the General Inspectorate of Health Activities became alert to possible identical cases. I leave you with a final question: do hospital managers know nothing about what is happening in their units regarding situations like these?
Executive editor of Diário de Notícias