The cycle path linking Cacilhas to Cova da Piedade, along Avenida Aliança Povo MFA, was improved at the beginning of the year. The municipality put up bollards and painted the intersections, but those who use bicycles as a means of transportation would have liked to have seen more ambitious work.
Between very close to the Cacilhas transport terminal and the urban area of Cova da Piedade/Centro Sul, there is a cycle path that is either on the road or on the sidewalk, shared with pedestrians. The trail was created more than two decades ago and a section of it was recently refurbished by Almada Town Council, following a Participatory Budget.
The renovated section is part of the Avenida Aliança Povo MFAwhere the cycle path develops at road level through two one-way channels. Here, Almada City Council has placed rubber bollards to segregate cycling traffic from the rest of the road (previously this was only done with a white line). In addition painted bicycle pictograms were painted along the route and the cycle crossings are now green (Almada decided to align the color of the cycling infrastructure with Lisbon, where the cycle paths are also green).
Cycling safety on Avenida Aliança Povo MFA will have been reinforced by the recent intervention. On the one hand, the the implementation of markers to demarcate the bike lane should significantly contribute to reducing the speed of cars and buses, which now have a narrower road channel since they can no longer so easily "step on" the bike lane.. This calming will be beneficial for those who also cycle. The green color at the crossings will also help the cycle path stand out from the road space. However, those who use the bicycle as a means of transport in Almada - and this cycle path in particular - would like to see more ambition from the City Council. because that's exactly what was asked in a winning proposal from the first (and so far only) edition of the municipality's Participatory Budget, which took place in 2021.
For Margarida Carvalho, author of the proposal, one of the five selected, it is essential to improve bicycle circulation between Cacilhas and Cova da Piedade/Centro Sul, "two important public transport hubs"with which two wheels can interact and complement each other. "We need to radically improve the safety conditions on this route, which are currently non-existent"points to FFP. "That was the reason for the Participatory Budgeting proposal."
In the idea presented (and selected), Margarida called for the rehabilitation of the cycle route between Cacilhas and Centro Sul, passing through Avenida Aliança Povo MFA, but also through the sections where the cycle path is on the sidewalk, sharing (and conflicting) with pedestrians. A new, differentiated and raised road surface was suggested so that it wouldn't blend in with the road and would allow for efficient water drainage. "It will allow people of all ages to cycle safely and comfortably between the residential areas of Cova da Piedade, as well as improving the tourism offer in the municipality."Margarida wrote in the text of the proposal.
To LPP, the 30-year-old believes that "sustainable mobility is a prerequisite for the attractiveness and success of any municipality" and he has no doubt that there is a safe corridor between Cacilhas and the South Center, which is a flat area, "it will motivate a large number of future practitioners". "The demand for sustainable mobility has had greater support in other municipalities, visible with the adaptation of existing roads to these new forms of light mobility. However, this is not the case in Almada, so it is not visible", regrets.
The redevelopment of Avenida Aliança Povo MFA meets some of the objectives of the Participatory Budget and was framed within this framework, with a dedicated budget of around 50,000 euros; but it is still a less ambitious project than the original proposal to establish a continuous and coherent corridor along a central area of the municipality of Almad. For some bicycle users heard by LPP, the rehabilitated section "it doesn't even reach the Cacilhas transport interface, nor the urban center of Cova da Piedade, much less the Centro Sul".
And they say: "It's an infrastructure that becomes insecure because it doesn't connect anything to anything." They criticize the fact that nothing has been done to solve one of the infrastructure's long-standing problems: the shortcomings in terms of rainwater drainage. When it rains, the bike lane is the only part of the avenue that gets flooded, making it difficult for bikes to circulate even on sunny days. "The improvement of the cycle path should take this into account, because in winter cyclists often ride on the road due to the cycle path being flooded"they point out. But there are positive points. "One of the improvements we've noticed is that with the installation of the bollards there seems to be a perception that the road is less wide and, at least, the buses go at a lower speed than 60/70kmh."they note.
One of the most substantial criticisms is the fact that, when Largo de Cacilhas was redeveloped and completed in 2023, there was no direct cycle connection to the river and bus terminal. In 2020, when the work was announced, a group of urban cyclists from Almada sent the council recommendations to this effect, but received no response from the municipality.
In the urban fabric of Cova da Piedade, there are also problems, such as Estrada do Brejo, where the abusive parking of cars on top of a cycling counter-flow has effectively disabled connectivity between Cacilhas and Cova da Piedade/Parque da Paz/Centro Sul. "We need to raise awareness and work on solutions with residents and local businesses (car repair shops, restaurants and supermarkets) and, above all, enforce undue parking"users point out. "In fact, throughout the city of Almada, WeMob should intensify and extend its enforcement hours so that sidewalks aren't always occupied by cars."
Anyone who uses a bicycle to get around the municipality of Almada, whether or not they do so in conjunction with public transport, would like to feel that the municipality is committed to the national targets for cycling mobility set out in the National Strategy for Active Cycling Mobility (ENMAC). You have no doubt that "will not reach the ENMAC targets, which foresee a 4% share of cycling trips in the city of Almada by 2025 and 10% by 2030".
"Almada doesn't have a mobility plan, and it's unclear what vision and measures are intended to be taken in this area"they conclude. Even so, the intervention carried out on this cycle path is part of a plan by Almada Town Hall to restore the municipality's old cycle corridors. In September 2023, in the context of the European Mobility Week, the municipality started the revision of its 2005 bike lane plan, which was never completedBut at the same time, it will rehabilitate the axis between Trafaria and Costa da Caparica, which is currently very dilapidated, as well as the such as the axis between Cacilhas, Parque da Paz and Corroios, which includes this stretch of Avenida Aliança Povo MFA.
