An update on Lisbon's new bike paths: what's in the works?

By early summer, using a bicycle in Lisbon should become more practical and comfortable. Several new bike paths are in the works throughout the city, which either promise to resolve loose ends in the cycling network, or will create important and previously non-existent connections, allowing cycling to become more competitive and at the same time attractive to more people.

What new bike paths are being built in Lisbon? We take stock (after the gallery, you will find a brief description of each intervention):

• Conde de Almoster Street: Contrary to what was happening before, this new bike path, which connects Benfica to Sete Rios, will be colored. The green carpet was recently painted, and now the rest of the markings are missing. The infrastructure itself has been passable since the beginning of this year;
• Campground: Lisbon Campsite will be connected by bike lane to the city through a new connection that has been under construction since the end of last year. It is a major project that will extend the bike path from Radial de Benfica to the camping site, practically at the limits of Lisbon. Its conclusion is scheduled for July;
• Lusíada Avenue: The "wall" is already in place and informally this bike path is already passable. All that is missing are the markings and other details. It is a direct connection from Benfica to Cidade Universitária that should be completed in the coming weeks. For now, this path connects to the Avenida dos Combatentes, which connects to Praça de Espanha, but in the future it will continue to Cidade Universitária through Avenida Egas Moniz and will connect with the existing infrastructure in the University Stadium. On the Benfica side, it will connect to Avenida Cidade de Praga (Pontinha, Carnide, Telheiras) and also to Avenida do Uruguai (Benfica);
• Rua Professor Lima Basto: The bike path under construction in this street, which passes in front of the IPO, will connect Conde de Almoster Street to Praça de Espanha. There is already pavement in a section but it is still missing for the completion of the work, scheduled for June;
• Detour Road: In Lumiar, a 30+bicycle path with counterflow is being created in a section of the Estrada do Desvio. This path will start at the entrance of the Urban Park of Vale da Ameixoeira and will be extended along the entire Estrada do Desvio, connecting to the Calçada de Carriche cyclopedestrian bridge (and from here to Odivelas) and to Alameda das Linhas de Torres through Rua Alexandre Ferreira (where a bike path ends today);
• Alameda das Linhas de Torres: The Alameda das Linhas de Torres bike path is already starting to take shape on the Lumiar side. With a pavement being recovered and a green carpet laid out, this connection will link a densely populated parish to Campo Grande and from there to the rest of the city. It should be ready by mid-May;
• Santa Apolónia: the bike path that follows the riverside from Braço de Prata ends today in Santa Apolónia with no connection to the axis that, a few meters away, starts near the Cruise Terminal. To solve this interruption, a simple section of bike path is being designed on the sidewalk in front of the station. A detail that will make all the difference;
• Afonso Costa Avenue: this bike path will bridge the existing connection on Avenida de Paris and the Olaias area, where a bike path is already starting and that allows to reach the Bela Vista Park or the Urban Parks of Vale da Montanha and Vale de Chelas. You can already see some of the structures of this new bike path, which starts at the top of Avenida Almirante Reis, near the Areeiro traffic circle;
• Quinta das Flores: This bike path will extend the existing bike path in Braço de Prata to the interior of Marvila, facilitating bicycle access to the pleasant garden of Quinta das Flores. This bike path will also connect to the existing network in Chelas and Bela Vista, allowing access to the city center through several green spaces. Its conclusion is planned for May;
• Alameda dos Oceanos (South): A bike path already existed in the continuation of Alameda dos Oceanos to the south but it was composed of sidewalk markings and some loose sections. This path is being improved to allow a fluid connection between Avenida Marechal Gomes da Costa and Parque das Nações. It should be ready by April, thinking about the students going to school by bicycle and all other users;
• Traffic circles in Parque das Nações: the traffic circles in the northern part of the Alameda dos Oceanos, which are already cycleable, were fully painted, in order to give more visibility to cyclists. Already integrated in the Alameda dos Oceanos (South) is being created what is perhaps the best cycling traffic circle in Lisbon, with permanent markings and security pockets in relation to other traffic;
• Avenida Marechal Gomes da Costa: is ready. The bike path will be connected on the Parque das Nações side through the Alameda dos Oceanos bike path (South); on the other side, it ends at Rotunda do Relógio, lacking a decent connection in that area. This bike path - which is already connected to the Olivais cycling network by City of Bissau Street - debuts a new way to solve bus stops: platforms have been created that force cyclists to slow down and that allow passengers to get on and off the vehicle without any unevenness.