The study was developed by two researchers with the active participation of the local community of Marvila. The work makes a diagnosis of the mobility in one of the most neglected parishes of the city, and presents solutions.

It was presented this Tuesday, September 20th, at the Marvila Library, the largest study ever made on mobility in Marvila. Entitled Participatory Study on Mobility in MarvilaThe report - which you can read in this article - traces an X-ray of travel in a territory unknown to many and usually disregarded in the city's mobility policies.
Co-authored by two researchers, Inês Vieira (from the field of ecology and education) and Henrique Chaves (of sociology), of the urban regeneration association Ground Floor as part of the social project GingadaThe study was financed by the BIP/ZIP program of the Lisbon City Hall (CML) and also received a grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
The study, which has a "socio-political intentionality"was developed from a participatory approach, involving the local population "at various stages, from the planning and design of the project and research instrument to the discussion and validation of study results"We read in the introduction of the report. The researchers understand that "knowledge is considered an instrument of social transformation and promoter of awareness of the population that is in an investigative situation" and emphasize that the initiative to study Marvila came "following local demand for cycling mobility and environmental quality"
Divided into four chapters, the study report presents the methodology used, makes a framework of the parish of Marvila, presents the results of the Mobility Survey in Marvila that serves as the basis for the study, and presents reflections and proposals based on the data collected. You can read the study in full here:
What are the conclusions?
On Mobility Survey in Marvila, participated 396 people, the vast majority living in Marvila (83%), 46% male and 54% femaleIn terms of age, 14% are up to 17 years old, 71% are between 18 and 64 years old, and 15% are 65 years old or older. In terms of occupation, 46% are workers, 16% are students, 5% are working-students, 14% are unemployed (mostly males, unlike the other situations), 13% are retired, and 3% are in other situations.
Among the participants, 54% have completed some level of basic education, 22% secondary education, and 15% higher education (with a majority of female non-residents), in a territory that has the highest illiteracy rate in the city (6,85%). Almost half of the non-residents surveyed visit Marvila on a daily basis. There was an unequal distribution of participants across the territory of Marvila - the authors understand that "the territorial implantation of the partner entities in the territory may have had an impact on the areas with more survey participants".

Here are some of the Inquiry's findings:
- A most of the mobility infrastructure in the parish favors fast road circulationcreating insecurity for pedestrian and cycling mobility;
- For residents in the parish, the main destinations in Marvila are places of commerce, but also leisure and restaurants. When they move out of Marvila, it is for work. Non-residents come to Marvila for work, for restaurants, but also for commerce, other people's homes, and leisure.
- The participants in the survey they move mostly on footThis means of mobility is less prominent in the case of commuting to work, where the car gains importance, and health, where the bus is more frequent.

- Since commerce is the main reason for travel indicated by the respondents, the displacements for this purpose are mostly done on footbut car and bus trips are also quite significant.
- Bicycling is indicated as a means of mobility (no intermodal integration) in less than 10% of the answersThe most frequent destinations are leisure, green spaces, and commerce.
- The participants indicate the duration of up to 15 minutes for most of your tripsThe range between 16 and 30 minutes was also mentioned for trips to shops, leisure and restaurants.
- The male participants indicate shorter commuting times and report using more individual means of transport (mostly car)while female participants indicate more walking and public transportation (except subway).
- The Working-age respondents (18 to 64 years) are the ones who take more time to commute and use more individual motorized transport. The youngest respondents (up to 17 years old) are those who show the highest use of active means of mobility (they walk, as do the other participants, but use bicycles and scooters comparatively more). Respondents of older age (above 65) are those with the highest rate of pedestrian mobility and use of public transport.

About bicycles in particular:
- In addition to being a leisure practice associated with childhood, the bicycle presents itself as a mobility option that is more considered by those with more academic qualifications. Those who ride the least are mostly adults, namely young adults with high school education and older adults who most often finished school at the end of junior high school.
- More than half of the students surveyed reveal that they ride a bicycle. In the case of workers and student-workers, the percentage drops to about one-third, and is slightly higher in the case of the unemployed.
- About one-third of the participants with people dependent on their care reveal that they ride a bicycle, especially for caregivers of childrenTherefore, being a caregiver is not necessarily associated with blocking cycling mobility.
- The bicycle is only referred to as choice of mobility to work or school by 14% users (mostly adult males), equaling 4% of the survey participants.

- Weighing the the participants' motivations for bicycling, for more than half of the user participants, reasons related to health, fitness and pleasure stand outMotivation by network of influence follows, stressing the importance of friends, colleagues or family members also cycling.
- O The most indicated factor in increasing bicycling by current users was the need for more bicycle lanes and parkingThe importance of factors such as the possibility of making shorter trips between the frequented places, the reducing the speed of carsthe possibility of having a bicycle - especially if it is electric or other more adapted to your travels -, a best public bicycle networkYou have to have a place to store your bike at work/school/home, be able to easily take it on public transportation, and make changes in your routine.
- Among the reasons indicated for not using the bicycle as a commuting mode are not having a bicycle and not knowing how to ride itparticularly in an urban environment. At a second level we find participants who report disliking or being lazy about cycling, as well as health and/or age issues. A smaller group of participants refers to issues related to the orographic profile of Lisbon, where there are many ups and downs, the need to change routines and the perception of traffic safety (almost exclusively in the case of women).
- Weighing the factors that could make current non-users switch to cyclingmost of the answers point to the the possibility of having a bicycle, followed (especially among female participants) by the need to learn how to ride a bicycle in the city. This is followed by the need to change routines and infrastructure changes in terms of bike lanes, parking, and solutions for storing the bike at work, school, or home.
- Considering the opinions of the participants regarding the construction of bicycle paths in Marvilathe fact that the perceptions are mostly favorableespecially with regard to improvement of environmental indicators (air quality)The answers were mostly positive, but a little more negative answers and no answers were given. With mostly positive perceptions but slightly more negative answers and no answers, we found questions about changes in who and how the territory is used: bringing more people to live in/visit Marvila and impact on local commerce.
- As far as impacts on traffic and more specifically on automobile circulation are concerned, the answers denote less favorable perceptions. With the exception of reducing traffic speeds and changing sidewalks for pedestrians, the expected consequences in this area are mostly negatively evaluated: decreasing car lanes and parking spaces for cars are the points that concern the participants in this study the most.
- On average, there are no answers on bicycle paths by about one third of the survey participantsThis denotes a distancing of the survey participants from these issues.

With 35.4 thousand inhabitants (Census 2021), Marvila is the second largest parish in Lisbon in terms of population. It is also one of the largest parishes in the city. Still, it is a dispersed territory, with several wastelands and little cohesion, where some of the most recent mobility policies we have seen around Lisbon do not enter. There are few bike paths with a utilitarian profile, no GIRA network, and no private operators of shared soft mobility. With a car-centric public space, composed of wide avenues, oversized, and that in many cases rip and divide neighborhoods in half, Marvila is simultaneously a parish with non-existent sidewalks in many connections.
"The highways ended up creating splits in the territory, fragmenting it beyond the railroad infrastructure and its intrinsically difficult configuration to cross, due to the rugged terrain. Despite its history and proximity to the center of Lisbon, Marvila is still perceived by several residents as a peripheral area, mainly due to mobility and accessibility constraints. Its urban fabric, very fragmented and dispersed, is connected essentially by high-speed roads, intended (still) exclusively for motorized vehicles."
- Participatory Study on Mobility in Marvila

Marvila has two train stations (Marvila and Braço de Prato) and two subway stations (Chelas and Bela Vista), and several bike lanes, but they are leisure oriented. In 2020, some bicycle paths were built pop-up of 1.2 km on Pardal Monteiro and Eng. Ferreira Dias streets. At this moment, the following is under construction a short section of bike path next to Avenida Santo Condestável. The researchers point out that "double railway line (...) highlights the division between the riverfront area (Marvila Velha/Antiga), where an accelerated process of real estate investment and transformation in terms of the arrival of creative industries is taking place, and the neighborhoods located in the area of the Vale de Chelas Urbanization Plan, in which a large part of the housing is of a public nature, and which aimed at rehousing".

Now what?
The Participatory Study on Mobility in Marvila makes a diagnosis of the parish, draws a set of conclusions and, finally, presents a series of recommendations. A contribution for the city, for the community and, especially, for the decision-makers. "This participatory study has as one of its purposes to anchor local demands for more and better mobility infrastructures in Marvila"the report says.
Some of the recommendations presented:
- Work with parents of children and young people, anticipating the younger ones' interest in using cars, proposing as an alternative active means of mobility and public transport;
- Support local groups seeking to understand how to move safely between territories by exploring different types of bicycles, mapping routes, and supporting the training of (potential) bicycle users;
- Use the school space to create training courses to promote safe coexistence in traffic, as well as to encourage active mobility and/or public transportation;
- Make available for commercial and/or social purposes the municipal stores that are empty, discussing, neighborhood by neighborhood, the most interesting solutions for these spaces;
- Reinforce Carris' offer so that there are more buses, especially in the neighborhood, connecting the different parts of the parish;

- Promote public discussion and the participation of the local population in the evaluation and design of strategies for the territory and mobility, namely about the cycling network and related infrastructures in Marvila and its integration with the rest of the city.
- Introduce the GIRA bicycle services in Marvila and articulate with the shared transportation operators so that Marvila is also included in their maps;
- Build neighborhood bike paths, designed around children's actual routes to their schools;
- Create and reinforce bicycle parking lots in the parish, with the possibility of creating structures that allow greater security for storing bicycles, as already happens in other areas of Lisbon;
- Create sidewalks where none exist and improve existing ones, ensuring maximum accessibility for people with mobility impairments;
- Strengthen mechanisms to reduce the speed of road traffic. For example, based on the claims of several residents, create speed deterrent structures, such as speed humps, traffic lights and other mechanisms that fulfill this purpose.
You can see the full report here.
