A picnic in the middle of Almirante Reis, that's how it was on Sunday

Between 50 and a hundred people gathered this Sunday afternoon for a picnic-demonstration on Avenida Almirante Reis. The protest had been summoned "for the right to the city" with the "in order to claim regular occupation of public space for people"But it was the controversial bike path that mobilized the majority of participants and the overwhelming majority of conversations.

“I saw this on Twitter and I'm against Moedas' plan for the cycle path"Artur Vasco tells us. "It doesn't make sense to put a cycle lane on just one road, not least because of the ambulances, and to encourage car use when we have to do the opposite." Artur was alone but accompanied by a book - he was reading at home (he lives nearby), but decided to continue reading on Almirante Reis, since a section had been cut off. He wasn't the only one. Teresa Nobre did the same. "Instead of reading at home on my own, I decided to bring my music and sit here quietly reading my book"he says. "I live here near Almirante Reis and do all my commuting by bike, and I need a bike lane not just here but in the rest of the city."

"I think Almirante Reis also needs calming down, it needs fewer cars, and I think that whenever I can take part in initiatives like this I will," he adds. "You hear music, some people are playing music, children are playing, I hear kids playing ball... It's nicer than a normal day."

The picnic was scheduled to start at 5pm and got off to a timid start, but within half an hour several people began to gather. Some had brought blankets and spread them out on the tarmac that is usually used by cars. Children drawing, others playing ball, young people chatting, others playing music. Even with the traffic open on the uphill side of the avenue, the noise of the engines was temporarily replaced by a much more pleasant noise: that of people.

The expectation was that the stretch between Alameda and Praça do Chile would be closed, but given the turnout - which is always unexpected in this type of initiative - it was only necessary to cut traffic as far as Rua Ferreira da Silva, in the area of the Arroios Market. “There was no projection because we didn't know how this initiative would be received by the population"Giulia Gallorini, one of the organizers, says she had some initial problems with the PSP. "When we got here at the stated time, the police hadn't yet closed the avenue to guarantee our right to demonstrate and they didn't want to close it because there were only 15 of us. But while we were arguing with the police, more people arrived" and the planned cut was applied, albeit in a more "pill".

Giulia Gallorini organized this picnic-demonstration through messaging groups with at least three other people; the protest was spread through Facebook and the collective's platforms Climax.

Giulia's inspiration was the initiative Pic Nic The Streets, which emerged in Brussels 10 years ago with relative success. "We decided that this was a very serious moment for Lisbon because political decisions are being taken in the opposite direction to the interests of the most vulnerable people"he says, claiming that "the things that were said" in the participatory process on Almirante Reis "were not taken into consideration" and that "the third cycle path [proposed by Moedas] is worse". "We need a long-term project to remodel the entire Avenida Almirante Reis", points out.

Maria Salgado has a son and came not only for the bike path, but also for "for the right to live in the city". "Now that I have a child, I've been thinking that it's very difficult to live in Lisbon with a child that you want to educate in free movement"he says. "At the moment I can't cycle with him because I don't have a seat, because my bike isn't electric. And since I've already been hit by a car, it makes me think twice."

Question the percentage "very small" of the public road dedicated to pedestrians and says that "We really have to reconquer the city and make it belong to the people. Cars are a utilitarian thing, but the city can't be theirs". The bike lane is important and, says Maria, she thinks it should stay as it is. "It's a mistake to go back to the previous option, the two-way logic. In my opinion, the bicycle is a vehicle and should therefore follow the path of the road and go in the same direction."

The demonstration was attended by a number of families who brought their little ones and some food. This was the case with Pedro and Mariana, parents of three. "We have three babies and we don't want to ride in a car. We don't want to be in the middle of exhaust and have them breathing that exhaust all the time. We want them to live in a city where people can go about their lives on foot or by bicycle"says Mariana. Fitting three strollers in the car is also difficult, says the young mother as she cuddles one of the babies.

But the couple also encounters difficulties when walking or taking the Metro. "We can't get from our house to the Campo de Santana garden without having to take our baby carriages out onto the road. The sidewalks are too narrow"Pedro laments. "And to go to other green spaces you can't take the Metro. We live in Intendente and none of the nearby stations are accessible. Only Arroios, but that's very recent. Until a few months ago there wasn't a single metro station on Avenida Almirante Reis with access for baby carriages, wheelchairs, heavy suitcases, etc."

Grandpa Conceição came to help. "You came to talk to me because I stand out for my white hair in this huge mass, didn't you?"he asked us. Mea culpa. "We live in Lisbon and we want Lisbon to be a little more human. When you can cohabit with what is a city with the quality of life of a more human being, it's a bike lane."

For the older ones, there was some beer. After all, the whole demonstration was also about socializing. Several outsiders passed by and took some photos and videos; others, who were driving, honked their horns in solidarity. The media was also there in force.

Lindsey Wuisan came to "defend the rights of cyclists to have space, bike lanes and to cycle safely". He says he lived "some time in Brussels" and knows "the difference that has been achieved through new areas for walking and cycling". Giulia has no plans to organize another initiative of this kind, but she would like to let the city community know if she would like to do another one. Pic Nic The Streets in Lisbon.