Locations of new GIRA stations raise questions

"As if there weren't already few places to rest in Avenidas Novas, they've decided to occupy part of the central plaza of Marquês de Tomar with a huge bicycle station that will prevent pedestrians from crossing and enjoying four park benches." The outburst comes from Pedro, who lives nearby. To LPP, he regrets what he says is a "lack of courage to take away three parking spaces" and states that "motorists are worth more than pedestrians". "It seems that they would rather harm pedestrians and those who sit on park benches than take away three parking spaces! They think that parking lots are needed even though the buildings that are being renovated all have garages..."he asks.

The parish of Avenidas Novas is, as the name suggests, characterized by its avenues. Many of these avenues have wide central dividers that were once used for pedestrian circulation and leisure. However, with the advance of the automobile and the new demand for parking, these spaces have been adapted to new needs.

There are small exceptions, such as the central area of Avenida Marquês de Tomar near the junction with Miguel Bombarda. There are no cars parked there, but a small seating area that offers those who pass by shade from leafy trees, a few benches to sit on and a kiosk selling newspapers. But the place also serves as a climate refuge on very hot days, was chosen for the installation of a new GIRA station with 14 docks.

The process of installing this station followed the normal procedures: first, the plates supporting the docks appeared, then the docks themselves and, finally, the totem pole. Everything is wrapped in plastic and looks brand new. The station was placed right in front of two of the four benches on the avenue's central plaza, instead of the more immediate option of removing three parking spaces. Miguel, who works in the area, told LPP that the station, which has now been placed in the middle of a pedestrian area, had already been installed a few years ago in parking spaces right next to it, but that this location had been contested, leading to the removal of the infrastructure. “Há uns tempos tentaram instalar uma mesmo em frente a um edifício aqui próximo, mas, como ocupava dois lugares de estacionamento, houve protestos…”he recalls.

Replacing three parking spaces with 14 docks for shared bicycles is not only a path towards fairer and more inclusive public space for different forms of mobility, but also shows a clear commitment to more collective forms of travel. This measure favors a greater number of people - 14 shared bicycles instead of three individual cars - and follows international best practice. By putting these bicycle docks on the sidewalk, you're further strangling these already hard-hit areas in cities like Lisbon.

"GIRA stations should not be located on sidewalks. This situation at Marquês de Tomar is particularly serious and even absurd. Let's face it, there's still enough sense to fix it"Mário Alves, a mobility specialist and a particular advocate of active pedestrian mobility, disputes this. "Sidewalks are already sacrificed with too many barriers to be taken up by one more. Lisbon's pedestrian spaces are extremely fragile and in many cases chaotic. The way to a healthier, more people-friendly city (especially for children and the elderly) is to increase the number and order of sidewalks. The inattention with which we treat the most vulnerable is regrettable."

In the middle of a field, with no light

Since 2017, when Lisbon's bike-sharing system began to be introduced in the city, the location of the stations has caused controversy. The stations began to be installed mainly in places that took space away from the car, in line with international best practice, but due to pressure from the population and local councils of different political persuasions, some of them ended up being relocated to pedestrian areas - or even removed.

In recent weeks, several new GIRA stations have sprung up in new parts of the city, fulfilling the announced expansion objectives. But there are locations that have raised doubts - the one in Marquês de Tomar is not unique.

At São Domingos de Benficaon the axis of Rua Conde de Almoster, there is a new station placed in a dirt fieldwhere there is informal parking for cars.

The infrastructure has been installed next to the wall of a building, on top of a small strip of sidewalk, and when it is up and running, it will force people to walk across a dirt and bush sidewalk to access the bikes. This situation could be particularly uncomfortable in the rainy monthsbut also during the rest of the year for users who, for example, walk in suits or for more vulnerable people, such as young people and women, since there is no lighting on site at night.

On top of the future bike path

Meanwhile, in Alvalade, there is now a new station next to Lisbon's University Stadium, which could serve not only the Santa Maria Hospital but also the students of the Catholic University. Seria uma boa notícia, não tivesse sido na Avenida Egas Moniz, no exacto local onde está uma ciclovia projectada, que irá conectar às ciclovias das avenidas Lusíadas e dos Combatentes.

According to the bike path project, which was made public through the public tender launched in 2021, the he route of the future cycle path would pass through the parking area next to the University Stadium, on Avenida Egas Moniz - precisely where the GIRA station has now been placed, with 31 docks.

The construction of the cycle path would require a change in the design of the parking spaces, which would change from oblique to longitudinal not only to the road but also to the cycle path. Although the construction of this cycle path has not progressed - even though the contract was awarded three years ago - the project is still on track and in the action plan that Moedas recently presented for the expansion of the cycling network.

Good examples

In recent weeks, several new GIRA stations have appeared in various parts of the city. In April, EMEL told LPP that the objective is "to reach 184 stations and all the parishes in the municipality by the end of 2024"and that some of the new stations - like the ones in Penha de França - should open this June. "After the installation of the station's bases and docks, there are still some technological aspects, namely the digital communications that allow the integration of the GIRA system"the company explained.

Of the new stations, few have any doubts. The three cases mentioned in this article are exceptions, in a process of expansion that has been carried out with the removal of parking spaces, in a perspective of modal reconversion that follows international best practices. We end this article with two good examples, in the same parish of Avenidas Novas: a new 20-dock station on Avenida 5 de Outubro which replaced only four parking spaces; and a another station which was placed in a dead zone, without any practical use, in the Avenida Defensores de Chaves and offers 21 docks.

A EMEL disse, sobre a situação na Avenida Marquês de Tomar, que a estação está a ser retirada, estando a sua nova localização ainda está por definir.

Actualização às 16h20 de 4/06/2023: adicionada informação da EMEL.