
After all, the project for the Avenida da Índia cycle pathThe project, published on the municipality's website, will not go ahead. The connection between the existing cycle paths on Rua Fernão Mendes Pinto, on the Algés side, and Avenida 24 de Julho, on the Alcântara side, will be suspended. Because cities are made of compromises, for the Avenida da Índia a more definitive solution is being studied that does not compromise the traffic circulation so much.
A spokesperson for the Lisbon City Council's mobility department explained to Lisboa Para Pessoas that the new route is currently being worked on and is in the final stages of designThe project is expected to be launched shortly afterwards. The bike lane on Avenida da Índia will therefore go ahead this year, but with a different configuration to the one previously announced - it will be more of a background project and not in style pop-up.
A philosophy pop-up emerged a year ago. The pandemic has highlighted a need to expand the space dedicated to cycling, so that it becomes a transportation option for more people - viable, safe, individual and an alternative to both the car (unsustainable from a space and pollution point of view) and public transportation (now limited in occupancy). Several cities have drawn up plans to rapidly extend their cycling infrastructure, using low-cost paint and markers. In days or sometimes hours, they put new cycle paths in place. In Lisbon, there was an ambitious bike lane plan pop-upThe project, which did not come to fruition in its entirety, as has happened in other cities. However, Lisbon is still looking towards the 200 km cycling target and many of the routes announced as pop-up are now being thought of in a more definitive way.
The future bicycle lane on Avenida da Índia will run along the same side of the avenue where it was planned to be built. pop-upwhere a stretch between Cordoaria Nacional and Avenida 24 de Julho should be installed on the sidewalk. In this way, the four traffic lanes on Avenida da Índia will be maintained on the approach to Alcântara, from where it is possible to access the 25 de Abril Bridge and one of the city's exits. For the rest of the route, the configuration will be maintained, i.e. with the removal of one lane in one direction of the avenue. Note that in the drawing pop-upThere was already a small area, on arrival at the Alcântara junction and 24 de Julho, where the cycle lane passed for a sidewalk shared by pedestrians and cyclists.
The Avenida da Índia cycle path will create an important cycle route for utility purposes in the parish of BelémThis will connect Algés, Alcântara and from there the rest of the city, either via the cycle path on Avenida 24 de Julho (which goes to Cais do Sodré) or via the future cycle path on Avenida de Ceuta (which will connect directly to Campolide or Benfica).
Despite being put on the back burner, the project pop-up is still available at cycling projects page by the Lisbon City Council, although it never had a launch date. The project envisaged a segregated cycle path with beacons and concrete elements, but also with some flower beds to increase the perception of safety among the most vulnerable users. The launch of the cycle path pop-up on Avenida da Índia has already been about to start several times.