Putting aside the issue of the bike lane, Livre has decided to take a first step in the discussion about the promised fundamental requalification of Almirante Reis. It has put forward ideas and next Tuesday will debate them publicly at LACS dos Anjos.
Leaving aside the question of the bike lane, the Livre decided to take the first step in the debate on the promised redevelopment of Avenida Almirante Reis. The PS executive had promised to launch this discussion at the end of the mandate, which did not happen; and President Carlos Moedas has already said that he intends to solve the avenue in two stages - first, with a third solution pop-up for the cycle path and then with a fundamental intervention.
However, without Moedas having put forward any concrete proposals for the future of the avenue, the Livre party did this week. At a public town hall meeting on Wednesday 28th, substitute councillor Patrícia Gonçalves (Rui Tavares is now busier with the Assembly of the Republic) presented a proposal for the future of the avenue. Livre's preliminary proposal to turn Almirante Reis into an "Avenue of Equality"where all modes of transport have a more equal share of public space: 36% for walking, 16% for cycling, 24% for cars and 24% for public transport.
Livre showed two renders which intends to start a discussion. The party will hold a public debate next Tuesday, May 3rd, at 7:30 p.m. in the LACS space in AnjosNo registration is required.
Livre wants "Avenida Almirante Reis can gradually, step by step, be improved in various aspects, but as a whole, becoming a true Avenue of Equality, for those who drive on it, live on it or simply want to enjoy it.". Specifically, the proposal of the Livre councillor is as follows:
- create "accessible and comfortable, continuous and safe" pedestrian routesThe sidewalks will be widened by about one meter (on average) and the Portuguese sidewalk will be combined with comfortable paving, as is the case on other avenues;
- increase the number of crosswalks to shorten the distance between pedestrian crossings on the avenue, placing crosswalks on both sides of intersections when this is not the case, and creating intermediate crosswalks when the distances between intersections exceed 100 meters;
- placing raised crosswalks and also invest in accessible crosswalks, with tactile paving (for the blind) and zero bounce;
- replace the tree-lined central separator with two rows of large treesalong the sidewalks, betting on "preferably with a horizontal canopy to allow for footprints, generating a linear ecosystem for birds and insects"and, at the same time, in a deciduous leaf "to make it possible to heat houses with solar radiation in winter and maximize shade and coolness in summer";
- redesigning public lighting in such a way that "improve visibility and safety" people and vehicles on the avenue, to be more sustainable in terms of energy consumption, to mitigate light pollution and to increase the use of LEDs with "warm color temperature in order to increase the feeling of visual comfort in the public space and avoid negative effects on health";
- create two one-way cycle paths next to the sidewalks and make all public transport stops (buses and streetcars) accessible and without conflicts with the cycle path;
- include an exclusive lane for public transport and emergency vehicles that allows them to stop without blocking traffic and to overtake stationary traffic during rush hour.
- remove all loading and unloading bays from the avenue and place them on the perpendiculars at all intersections along the avenue;
- study the holding of events such as fairs and markets at the weekend with the partial cutting of one of the avenue's directionsby reactivating the program The Street Is Yours.
In response, Carlos Moedas praised the "excellent presentation" and indicated that some of the proposals will be considered in the permanent solution, stressing that the executive wants to discuss them with the people. Livre now intends to discuss its ideas with everyone who wants to and formalize its proposal later.
Updated on 2/05/2022: there has been a change of venue for the debate that Livre will be holding on its proposal for Almirante Reis from Casa Independente (the original venue) to LACS dos Anjos. The article has been updated to reflect this change.
