The bicycle path that connects Benfica, São Domingos de Benfica and Sete Rios is being improved in the area of Rua Francisco Gentil Martins. The work comes as a surprise, without communication.
Despite an authoring is being planned for the current (and future) cycling networkIn order to identify points for improvement before going ahead with the construction of new bicycle paths (with projects already awarded having been suspended), the EMEL is improving a small section in Sete Rios. Work was not communicated and came as a surprise.
With a cost approximately 30.5 thousand eurosthe work is taking place on the final stretch of the bike path that connects Benfica to Sete Rios, more specifically on Francisco Gentil Martins Street. The work is progressing even though there is no contract published on the Base portal at the time of this article and no information about it has been posted online.
Since mid 2020, all bike paths under construction in the city of Lisbon are now available, with their respective PDF projects, on a page on the Lisbon City Hall website. This was not the case for this one, nor for one Bela Vista and Vale de Chelas recently built bike path. Lisboa Para Pessoas asked for access to the project in PDF for transparency reasons, but EMEL has not sent it so far. We will update this article if we receive the document.
However, a source from EMEL explained to Lisboa Para Pessoas that "the requalification of this section aims to increase the refuge area between crosswalks, both for cyclists and pedestrians, improving accessibility at crosswalks and bicycle crossings. Thus, the intervention includes tactile paving and smoother gradients between the elevation of the road and the sidewalk..
According to the project published at the construction site, the bike lane is being moved from the road to the sidewalk area on the approach to Sete Rios. This change will not free a lane on the road, on the contrary: there will still be a lane but the refuge area where both cyclists and pedestrians have to wait for the second green light will be increased, improving safety and comfort for all. New access ramps will also be created for the shared pedestrian area, both at this cycling crossing and at the crossing located next to the train station.
This work, despite not being communicated and appearing without prior notice, was being worked on by EMEL and the Lisbon City Hall services, as it came to light through the Written Information presented at the Municipal Assembly.
