More pedestrian space and less parking.
It is called Largo do Conde Barão and has a clean face as a result of the program A Square in Every Neighborhood. The works started in early 2021 and have now been completed, offering this square and a section of Rua da Boavista more pedestrian space, comfortable sidewalks, new trees and a reduction in the supply of car parking. The work had also been presented within the framework of the ABC RTA.
The transformation of Largo do Conde Barão and its Rua da Boavista is not as substantial as others already carried out under the project. A Square in Every Neighborhoodsuch as the Central Axis or Plaza de España. In general, Rua da Boavista, which is contiguous to Rua de São Paulo and which, with the latter, connects Cais do Sodré to Santos, has maintained its road configuration. However, in the intervened section, measures were applied that allowed the square to extend beyond its limits and give priority to pedestrian traffic. One of the most relevant is related to the intersections of Rua da Boavista with other streets: in all of them, the pedestrian crossings were raised and paved, giving, on the one hand, continuity to the sidewalk and, on the other, forcing drivers to slow down.
On the other hand, the parking lot was revised: where it was transversal, it became longitudinal, which resulted in the reduction of spaces and the increase of the pedestrian area - some traders have already taken the opportunity to extend the terraces, without, however, compromising pedestrian circulation. Only in the final part of the work, towards Cais do Sodré, was the transversal configuration of the parking spaces maintained, but here the pedestrian space was already wide.
In the square itself, new street furniture was placed and a tree that, in spring, should give lilac flower, complementing the blue tones of the whole square. The access to Rua da Silva, now closed to traffic, was maintained - although paved - for possible loading and unloading or for the provision of assistance. Travessa do Cais do Tojo, also in the square area, has been pedestrianized, thus increasing the pedestrian space and the dynamics of the square. Thus, a small square that served only for parking has disappeared.
The intervention ends, in the direction of Santos, at the intersection of Rua da Boavista with Avenida Dom Carlos I, which connects the area of the Assembly of the Republic and ISEG to Avenida 24 de Julho and where an intervention is also planned within the framework of the A Square in Every Neighborhoodwhich will give a new quality of public space to the area. Largo da Esperança. It should be noted that Rua da Boavista and the adjoining Rua de São Paulo are mainly axes of public transport circulation, and are therefore arteries with little traffic.
