Today the car has a huge presence in the public space of Arroios. Buildings without garages push parking onto the street, putting enormous strain on the street's ability to absorb the demand. Not always being able to do so, the result is streets with cars on top of crosswalks or in other places where you shouldn't be able to park. Arroios also serves as a passage and intersection of important city roads, designed in other times and that bring to the parish a large volume of traffic.
Despite the constraints, Arroios has, in the last year and a half, carried out a series of interventions that aimed to improve the public space and expand the pedestrian area, taking it away from the car without, however, causing friction. The works were carried out by the Arroios Borough Council, under the scope of the delegated powers contract of the Lisbon City Hall, which has allowed the local government to gain more valences.
Lisboa Para Pessoas went to see some of these improvements.
Santa Bรกrbara Square
At Largo Santa Bรกrbara, in the Anjos areaWe are now better off with the widening of the sidewalk at this complicated intersection. Basically, the circulation and crossing lines were preserved, transforming the dead zones into a sidewalk. The intervention project allowed the planting of three new trees.
Curious to know what this space was like before?
Going up...
The Jacinta Marto Street starts at Largo de Santa Bรกrbara and goes up to the Estefรขnia area, allowing to reach also Picoas and Marquรชs de Pombal. It is an artery with two lanes of traffic in each direction, trees and parking on each side and with a clear sidewalk. It is a steep street, so on one side, part of the sidewalk was replaced by a row of concrete slabs, in order to increase pedestrian comfort.
A new wide with life
The intersection of Rua do Forno do Tijolo with Rua de Moรงambique and Rua Maria is now a small square with life. The sidewalks were extended taking into account, as in Largo de Santa Bรกrbara, the circulation lines. The pedestrian gained more space but also the commerce and cultural equipment of the place. The road has been raised to sidewalk level to give pedestrians more freedom of movement, although there are marked crosswalks. There is a much sought-after bicycle parking lot and another one for motorcycles, which is also in great demand. Two trees have been planted and urban furniture placed in a space that used to be a car park.
Before the intervention, this square looked like this...
Forno do Tijolo Market
The area in front of the Forno do Tijolo Market no longer has crosswalk markings, inviting the pedestrian - just like in Rua das Praรงas, in Estrela - to cross the street as it suits you. The raised, uniform road surface makes it easy for drivers to understand that are invading a pedestrian square and not the other way around (people invading the space of cars). This space lacks, however, a Coexistence Zone signas stipulated in the Highway Code and in the Traffic Signal Regulations.
