The Lisbon City Hall installed, this week, the first "pousa-pé" equipment - structures that provide support to bicycle users on public roads and can be seen in other cycling cities in Europe.
If there is a long crossing for those who ride a bicycle, it is the one in Entrecampos. Counter data register more than a thousand daily bike rides at the Entrecampos traffic circle where priority is given to cars and not to soft modes - pedestrians and especially cyclists have to wait two or three times by a traffic light just to go from Avenida da República to Campo Grande, or vice versa. It is only a few meters.
It was in two of these traffic lights that the Lisbon City Hall installed the first "pousa-pé" of the city - structures that allow bicycle users to support themselves by resting their arm and putting their foot down, which exist in other cycling cities in Europe.
The first two metallic structures, installed near the Entrecampos traffic circle, are placed near the bicycle lane and before the traffic lights, so that users can comfortably wait for the green light, mounted on their bicycle. The equipment has a phrase at the base of the structure so that citizens can understand its functionality: "Rest your foot here...thanks for riding your bike!".
The installation of this equipment is part of a pilot project that aims to evaluate the perception of users regarding the value of its use, in order to assess the installation of more structures in other areas of the city.
Although the expansion of the cycling network is under evaluation, with only two bike paths planned for this yearWith the installation of these "pousa-pé", the Lisbon City Hall gives signs of wanting to continue investing in cycling mobility; after all, cycling cities offer not only infrastructure but also comfort.
It now remains to be seen if there will be any future changes in the traffic signalization or design of the Entrecampos traffic circle to give priority to soft modes, so that crossing at this point will not be so time-consuming and more comfortable. Every day, at that point, cyclists are seen improvising the crossing, drawing more inviting desire lines and trying to stay less time stopped at traffic lights.
