CML assigns logo to Almirante Reis and starts participative process to requalify the axis

Calendar

2023 - during the participatory process, in which the population will give input on how they want the public space of the Almirante Reis Axis to be in the future

2024 - preparation of the program that will define the requalification contract and launch the necessary bureaucratic procedures

2025 - Beginning of the requalification works, after the conclusion of the drainage works that started in that place in the beginning of this year

Main objectives

• promote an increase in the quality of life of the inhabitants by improving environmental quality;
• increased pedestrian and road safety;
• improving the functioning of road traffic, including public transport and all soft modes;
• improving pedestrian accessibility;
• promote and expand the pedestrian space and preserve the identity and the social and cultural diversity of Almirante Reis.

Initial Goals

Environment

• Noise - by 2030, reduce by 100% the population exposed to the highest noise classes of Lden>75 dB(A) e Ln>65 dB(A)and in 50% the population exposed to the highest noise classes of Lden>70 dB(A) e Ln>60 dB(A)as defined in Noise Action Plan 2014-2029 (Ln and Lden are two noise measurement indicators: Ln represents the average noise during the night period, from 11 pm to 7 am, and Lden represents a weighted average of the 24 hours of the day).
• Temperature - reduce heat exposure by creating shade and more amenable public areas provided by green infrastructure; and improve the adaptive capacity of green infrastructure to increased temperature and water scarcity (more resilient and adapted plant species). Aligning these objectives with Lisbon's goals of having 90% of the population within 300 meters of a green space and having 25% of the city area covered with green spaces;
• Air Quality - PM10 reduction by 14% (annual and daily indicator) and NO2 reduction by 21% for the annual indicator and 25% for the hourly indicator, proposals defined in accordance with the Air Quality Improvement Plan for the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region 2011-2014 and with Clean Air Cites Declarationfrom the C40 network.

Mobility and accidents

• Position "the Avenida Almirante Reis axis as Lisbon's reference of sustainable mobility until 2030"creating "a mobility ecosystem focused on people and active mobility that is accessible, useful, reliable and safe, based on an integrated network of public transport complemented by innovative solutions, enabling conscious and sustainable choices“;
• 66% for alternative modes to the car by 2030 (public transport, walking and cycling), according to the targets set in the city strategy MOVE 2030;
• zero road fatalities by 2030as per the goals of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.

Accessibility

• offer Universal Accessibility at crosswalkscomplying with the so-called "accessibility law" (Decree-Law 163/2006), namely:
  • place the sidewalk and the roadway at the same level at pedestrian crossings (0 cm preferential overhang);
  • install tactile flooring for blind people and, around the crossing area, put concrete sidewalk to be better distinguishable from the sidewalk;
  • give proper traffic light times, giving pedestrians the green light "long enough to allow crossing, at a speed of 0.4 m/s, across the full width of the track or up to the central reservation, where one exists";
  • ensure that the crossings are in a position of visibility and free of obstacles in relation to the motorist;
  • If there is a separator in the middle of the traffic lane, it must also include the aforementioned requirements and be wider than 1.2 meters;
  • Place a drain for the proper drainage of water near each walkway.

The Almirante Reis Axis:

• is strongly affected by high temperature;
• a existing afforestation is insufficient to minimize the effects of high temperatures.
• there are no crosswalks with universal accessibility;
• a air quality has not recommendable values to public health, due to the intensity of road traffic;
• presents noise levels higher than expected on General Noise Regulationfor mixed zone, at night - reference values Ln>55 dB(A) and Lden>65dB(A);
• there are no benches or rest areas;
• 70% sidewalk is used for road traffic and only 30% for pedestrians;
• o pedestrian route is frequently interrupted with obstacles.

Socio-demographic data

• the study area defined around Avenida Almirante Reis is about 230 hectares, or 2.3 km², and a population density of 18,360 inhabitants per km², more than three times the city's average;
• Both buildings and housing have a density per square kilometer with weights similar to the population. A Building density reaches the value of 1 547.8 per km². and that of housing is 11,313.9 per km².;
• At the time of the 2021 Census, this area had a total population of 42 132 individuals, corresponding to 7.7% of the municipality's population. With regard to age distribution, the young population (age 14 and under) represented 10.6% and the elderly population (age 65 and over) represented 21.1%;
• relative to the previous census survey (2011) the population of the study area had a increase of almost 4%. If we focus only on the subsections that flank the Avenue, there were a growth of 111.9%, from 3,339 individuals in 2011 to 7,074 in 2021;
• There are four parishes whose territory is partially covered by the Almirante Reis axis - Areeiro, Arroios, Penha de França and Santa Maria Maior. Arroios is the parish that contributes most of the territory included in this area (1.3 km²) and also has the largest population volume - 24,912 inhabitants, or 59.13% of the study area's population.

Mobility and environmental data

• looking at the mobility system, Avenida Almirante Reis presents a transversal profile of approximately 25 meters widewith 28% of the area allocated to the mode pedestrian (with all the existing obstacles), 12% to the channel cyclable, 38% to the channel road (where public and private transport circulation takes place, but also illegal parking), 18% to legal parking e 4% corresponding to the wooded central axis;
• in comparison with other areas of Lisbonon Avenida Almirante Reis there are a greater number of pedestrian trips, a greater use of the Metro, a less car use, and the bicycling (and in other mild ways) by the residents of the parishes surrounding Almirante Reis is the twice as much as most of the city;
• On February 14, 2023, a test was carried out that had the assumption of traveling the Almirante Reis axis from south (Martim Moniz Square) to north (Areeiro Square) at 9:00 am (morning) and 4:45 pm (afternoon), with the following travel times recorded: on foot, 40 minutes in both schedules; by electric bicycle, 11 minutes in both schedules; by Carris bus (708), 12 minutes in the morning and 17 minutes in the afternoon; by Metro, 10 minutes in both schedules; by car, 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. The following day, an identical test was done, but from north to south: on foot, 36 minutes both times; by conventional bicycle, 10 minutes both times; by Carris bus (708), 15 minutes in the morning and 13 minutes in the afternoon; by Metro, 10 minutes both times; by car, 13 minutes in the morning and 11 minutes in the afternoon. The best way to travel the Avenue, according to this experience, is by bicycle and the Metro;
• as for the pedestrian area, there are different widths along the Avenue, lack of continuity between sidewalks, and obstacles to universal accessibility. In this field, the materials used in the coverings of the pedestrian area and the poor state of conservation of these coverings constitute obstacles to mobility, especially for those with motor impairments. There are also multiple obstacles in the pedestrian area that force detours, such as the subway vents, station accesses, flowerbeds, infrastructure boxes, street lamps, road signs, misaligned urban furniture and esplanades.
• on Avenida Almirante Reis, there are 89 pedestrian crossings with traffic lights e 38 without traffic lights, a Average distance between crosswalks is 132 metersthe minimum is 60 meters and the maximum 310 meters. Where the distance between crosswalks is greater, the average walking time is about 4.30 minutes;
• Because it has a comfortable and safe sidewalk, the cycling channel of Avenida Almirante Reis and Rua da Palma is often used by people with reduced mobilityby other pedestrians and racing individuals;
• a The bicycle path of Avenida Almirante Reis and Rua da Palma appeared in early 2020 in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. When presented in 2020, the plan was to create a bike path along the entire axis, between Martim Moniz and Praça do Areeiro, but its construction ended up being phased: first from Martim Moniz to Praça do Chile in a bidirectional format; then, in 2021, due to popular protest, the bike path was changed to the current one-way model and extended to Alameda, not reaching Areeiro due to a blockade by the Areeiro Borough Council. Initially, the bike path was planned under the plan ZER ABC only between Martim Moniz and the Banco de Portugal block.
• the implementation of the cycling channel at a "significant and continuous increase" of the volume of cyclists since the beginning of 2020. Counts by the Instituto Superior Técnico document that in 2022, there was, in the four morning and afternoon rush hours, an average of 153 cyclists/hour at the Almirante Reis/Pascoal de Melo intersection and 120 cyclists/hour at the Almirante Reis/Rua dos Anjos intersection.
• there is 12 GIRA shared bike stations along the Almirante Reis axis, including in the vicinity of the Avenida (which includes Martim Moniz and Avenida de Paris, for example);
• Avenida Almirante Reis has a roadway with a width of about 4.50 meters per direction, a excess width that makes irregular parking and speeding outside peak hours;
• the traffic light times prioritize road traffic along the Axis all day long, but the lack of proper traffic management on the Axis leads to a significant amount of stationary traffic in the surrounding area;
• the Almirante Reis Axis has six subway stations and 23 bus stopsIt is served by Carris lines E28, 17B, 706, 708, 717, 718, 720, 734, 735, and 797. A career that has the highest number of validations is 708on January 4th 2023, counting 1708 validations in both directions. Between Martim Moniz and Areeiro, there were, on that same day, 774 validations in the morning rush hour and 1009 validations in the afternoon rush hour, for a daily total of 6,633 validations.
• Surface parking on this Axis is regulated by EMEL, and there are 350 parking spaces on public roads. Of these, 170 are fare places with an average rotation of one hour; and 180 are reserved places (of which 33 are private, 60 are for loading and unloading, 23 for picking up and setting down passengers, 12 for people with reduced mobility, 10 for motorcycles, and 16 are for bicycles and scooters). In parks, there are 707 parking spaces (498 seats in the Empark underground park; 104 seats in the Chile Square park, and 95 seats in the Travel Park Hotel park);
• Almirante Reis Avenue has a tree alignment in the lime tree central divider e two lateral alignments, which "present great discontinuity, either by the current profile of the avenue, or due to the progressive felling of specimens". The older specimens of the Avenue show, in general, signs of decrepitudeIn the central separator, there are lesions resulting from leg suppression, many of which have cavities that compromise stability. In the central separator, there are 257 boilers on a single alignment, of which three are empty; on the laterals, there are 48 boilersof which seven are empty;
• the The main reason for this is the lack of soil available for root development due to the presence of infrastructure, namely the Metro tunnelIn general, its crown development is much lower than expected for the species. Even so, its presence is fundamental to mitigate the climate in the Avenue. However, the afforestation of this avenue is insufficient to minimize the effects of high temperatures;
• in the study area and in the most critical periods (heat wave situations and at dusk), the The intensity of the urban heat island may reach 2.0ºC to 3.5ºC, corresponding to the temperature differential for the reference zone, the Lisbon Airport. By the end of the 21st century, an increase in the average annual temperature (+1ºC to 4ºC), a sharp increase in the maximum autumn temperature (+2ºC to 5ºC), an increase in the number of days with temperatures of 35ºC and tropical nights, and more frequent heat waves are predicted in Lisbon.