New bike path in Costa da Caparica allows going to the beach without traffic

On a Monday morning, at the beginning of summer, Costa da Caparica belongs to the Caparicans. The invasion of vacationers seduced by the beaches of Costa da Caparica is still to happen and, being a weekday on top of that, there are many more locals to be seen on the streets. E it is not because of that and because we are not at the peak of summer that new Forest Road bike patha work recently concluded by the City Council of Almada, has no use. On the contrary.

Built with vacationers in mind, several caparicans are already taking advantage of the new infrastructureThis is an area with a tradition of sea and fishing, where cycling is an element of everyday life. Like any area with a tradition of sea and fishing, the bicycle is an element present in their daily lives. And the coast is no exception. The new bike path offers a segregated corridor from the sometimes violent road trafficserving everyone who wants to get around safely by bicycle. And there are many of them, at least on the day of LPP's visit: we saw mobility bikes, recreational bikes, and others from the new private sharing services, which we will talk about later. We saw people going to the beach, people going to coffee with friends, people carrying groceries. We saw people of different ages.

The new bike path runs along Forest Road and also makes it possible to go from Lisbon to the beaches of the Coast, and in particular those of Fonte da Telha by bike, scooter, skateboard, rollerblades... From Trafaria, where the boat arrives from Belém (with capacity for 30 bicycles), there is already a cycling network since 2008which connects to the Costa beaches promenade (also cyclable) and now to this new infrastructure. Next to the bike path was left space for pedestrians.

The City of Almada put signage in an attempt to deter abusive parking that sometimes occurs on this new cycling infrastructure. Although there are no bollards or other physical blockages, the municipality hopes that this will deter drivers from stopping on top of the bike path and adjacent pedestrian area - as they do in other parts of Almada, which is so plagued by sidewalk parking. The signs display the message "don't ruin a good beach day with bad parking" and show a photograph of cars being ticketed and towed for being on the bicycle infrastructure; fines can range from 60 to 300 euros.

What is certain is that Almada also needs to have the bike path unobstructed because it also serves for emergency vehicles to quickly access the beachesThis is a good way to escape the traffic that is usually quite heavy on weekends and during the bathing season. As happens on Almirante Reis, in Lisbon, in case an ambulance or other emergency vehicle needs to pass, the cyclists and other road users will have to move away at that moment, when they hear the siren or see the emergency vehicle.

As mentioned, the new Forest Road bike path connects with the sea wall and with the existing bike path along Avenida Afonso de Albuquerque, which allows you to reach Trafaria. In other words, in theory, it is now possible to cycle all along the seafront of the Coast, no traffic and no other confusions. The connection between the different cycle paths (the Florestal, the paredão and Trafaria) is not always the most immediate, so a few tricks are necessary. Coming from Trafaria, follow the route that is still marked and when you reach Avenida Afonso de Albuquerque, turn to the sea area in one of the first intersections. After the wall, to reach the Forestry Road and access the beaches of Fonte da Telha, you must take a short stretch through a small and quiet local road.

Despite the Almada City Hall's investment in the new bike path, there are no plans for the recovery of the first cycling network in Costa da Caparicawhich connects the city to the Trafaria river terminal and, through here, to the city of Lisbon. Although it is a flat and therefore accessible route, with a good design overall, the bike path is in such disrepair that its use can be uncomfortable. The sidewalk is worn, there are holes, and the road signs are also worn. This bike path is six kilometers long and belonged to a first project for a cycling network in Almada, the PACicla - Plan for a Cyclable Almadalaunched in 2003-05, and never fully realized. PACicla foresaw 223 km of paths intended primarily for bicycles and pedestrians throughout the municipality.

Almada joins private shared bicycles and scooters

As of June 4, dockless shared bicycles and scooters from four private operators became available in Almada: Bird, Bolt, Lime e Whoosh. The services are available on the maritime axis of Costa da Caparica, between Trafaria and Fonte da Telha, but also in the city of Costa, as well as in the city of Almada, between Cacilhas and Monte da Caparica. Throughout the territory, parking spots were established, mostly in pedestrian areas but some also in areas previously intended for cars.

To foster a healthy coexistence with this new offer, it will be mandatory to park these soft mobility vehicles in the virtual docks defined for this purpose, marked in the operators' apps and identified on site. Taking into account that public space is shared by all, including people with reduced mobility, children and the elderly, Almada City Council intends that in this way the parking of these shared vehicles is done in an organized and responsible way. Failure to park in the locations marked for this purpose will incur costs for users, since it will not be possible to "conclude the journey", thus continuing to pay for the service.

The operators Bird, Bolt, Lime e Whoosh They offer trips counted by the minute, with or without an unblocking fare, but also daily passes that can range from 5 to 10 euros. These are services designed for occasional, infrequent use. On the Costa da Caparica axis, the first docks are next to the Trafaria river terminal and at the end of the Estrada Florestal bike path; on the Almada axis, the first parking spots are next to the Cacilhas intermodal interface and next to the Faculdade Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT) campus at Universidade Nova, in Monte da Caparica.

According to the almadense autarchy, in order to guarantee the safety of the users, zones of forbidden circulation were defineddepending on the volumes of foot traffic and potential increased risk, as well as restricted circulation zones, such as on pedestrian or mixed roads, marked on the map according to the following criteria. In restricted circulation zones, speed is limited to 10 km/h, as is the case of the Costa wall; in prohibited circulation zones, the motor of bicycles and scooters is turned off.