A conversion of the two-way bike lane on Avenida Almirante Reis into two one-way lanesone in each direction of traffic, underwent some last-minute changes, one of them at the level of the segregators. Although chosen to allow the bike lane to be used as an emergency channel if necessary, the model that began to be applied between the end of May and the beginning of June was not suitable for all types of ambulances because it was too high and caused damage to some vehicles. It is now being replaced by another.
As far as Lisboa Para Pessoas has been able to ascertain, some INEM vehicles were damaged on the underside (exhaust pan) because they tried to use the cycle path to escape the traffic. It was possible to see along Almirante Reis that some of the segregators installed ended up scraped off the surface and others were broken or ripped out, leaving the nails that held them in place uncovered.
At stake is the fact that these segregators - the Pitón model from Spanish manufacturer ADO - are too high for certain ambulance models. Initially, the same segregators were to be installed here Zipper, from ZiclaThe same ones were applied along the northern part of Alameda dos Oceanos, in Parque das Nações, but this option was discarded. The Pitón model chosen had the advantage of being more flexible than the Zipper in the event of a collision.
Lisbon City Hall will place other segregators on Almirante Reis, similar to the Pitón ones, but lower in order to safeguard the universality of the cycle corridor also as an emergency corridor. This application will take place after the bike lane has been painted green along its entire length, another "last minute" change that has been taking place over the last few days - initially it was only planned to paint the intersections. It was decided to paint the entire length of the bike lane, probably to better mark out the bicycle space and make it more visible to other users of Almirante Reis.
The Almirante Reis cycle path will create a segregated, continuous cycle channel between Alameda and Praça da Figueira. The section between Alameda and Banco de Portugal was the first to be built and the remaining part is now under construction. In Martim Moniz, the cycle path will be bi-directional and adjacent to the central area of the square. Completion was scheduled for June, but it should now be ready by mid-July or August.
