The municipality led by Isaltino Morais says it will take over from the Lisbon Port Authority and Infraestruturas de Portugal and repair, at last, the shared bike path of Passeio Marítimo de Algés. This path is damaged and officially banned since the December storms.
The heavy rainfall of December 2022 also left a dent in the Passeio Marítimo de Algés, particularly in the section of the bike path shared with pedestrians that runs alongside the train tracks and connects Algés to Cruz Quebrada and Jamor. That bike path has been unrepaired for six months, and it has also been "closed" for six months. The quotation marks are intentional: although the placing of cement blocks at the end of the bike lane is intended to deter people from crossing, the truth is that many joggers, walkers, and cyclists continue to make use of that infrastructure.
Even before that section near the mouth of the Tagus was paved in 2015, many people were already using it for walking, sports, or mobility. Avenida Marginal, with its 70 km/h speed limit and narrow sidewalks, was not an alternative - and still is not. A A "real" bike path was installed in 2014 by the Oeiras City Hall, then led by Paulo Vistas. It is about one kilometer long; it allows anyone coming from Algés to reach Jamor on foot or by bike, or, with a little effort, the maritime promenade in Caxias. It is widely used by the population for jogging, for walking, or for cycling - for leisure or for mobility.
But the December weather took a "bite" out of this bike path. Although the hole is located in a small section and it is possible to ride on the track, the bike path was completely closed by the Oeiras City Hall, which put cement blocks and signs to indicate "Passage prohibited. For your safety!". The municipality could not be held responsible for any accidents at this location. However, the deterrents installed never prevented people from continuing to use the infrastructure, even with the risk of further collapses. And if in the first months people had to jump over the barriers, now there are openings between the concrete blocks, allowing them to cross the barriers with ease.
Those who pass by the place say that the "bite" has indeed increased in size, but not significantly, judging by the images that have been shared on social networks over time. What is certain is that the shaking caused by the passage of the train, on the line right next to it, is putting to the test what remains of the sidewalk. You only have to stand on the unstable platform to feel the vibrations trying to tear the bicycle path, even if with no apparently considerable impact.
The situation at the Algés Promenade has been dragging on for six months with no visible solution. To Público newspaperthe Oeiras Chamber now says that "will be held a intervention for requalification of the damaged area that is scheduled to take place in first half of JuneThis is an initiative of the municipality, which will substitute itself for the Administration of the Port of Lisbon - which is responsible for the management of that site - and for Infraestruturas de Portugal".. Correcting the problem will cost about 30 thousand euros and will be performed by the company Olico, Ldawith whom the municipality has a contract for "repair and maintenance of walls at various locations". The construction of the cycle path had cost €115,000 in 2014.
Meanwhile, on May 5, the Evoluir Oeiras coalition had asked to the executive for a status report regarding the eventual repair of the bike path. In response to Mónica Albuquerque, Municipal Deputy for Evoluir Oeiras, the Vice Mayor of Oeiras, Francisco Gonçalves, said at the time that the work was "in tendering procedure". “To repair the bike path, a procedure needs to be launched. It is in procedure. The procedure is going on."he commented. “Sand had it been a problem on a road dedicated to cars, within a week it would have been solved! Since it is the maritime promenade there, it is for people and for cyclists, we are six months later without knowing where we stand, when the work will start, when something will happen.criticized the deputy.
The Public asked Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) if any intervention is planned for that place, since the "bite" of the sea on the bike path also means an advance of the waters towards the train line. In fact, the hole shows the fragility in the retaining wall that IP placed in that area to protect the railroad; as images from 2015 clearly showThe sea has been advancing and the once wide barrier is now almost the width of the bicycle path.
To the mentioned newspaper, IP said that "is aware of the existing damage at the Algés Promenade" but that, as "do not affect the rail infrastructure"has no intervention planned; he added that "the repair of this situation is the responsibility of the Oeiras City Hall that, when carrying out the intervention, and depending on the means mobilized, it may have to be articulated with the IP". Note that the public company responsible for the country's road and rail infrastructure has modernization works on the Cascais Linebut that do not involve any reinforcement of this wall.
