A thousand people demonstrate in Lisbon in defense of the Almirante Reis cycle path
About a thousand people demonstrated today in Lisbon in defense of the Almirante Reis cycle path and of “a safe city for all people”, in an action that ended at the Paços do Concelho.
The starting point was Praça do Martim Moniz, where at 18:00, several people, of various ages and accompanied by bicycles and scooters, gathered.
“Cut transmission, no bike paths, less highway and more bike path or not to traffic, but to the bike path”, were some of the slogans uttered by the demonstrators, during a pedestrian and cycling route between Martim Moniz Square and Lisbon City Hall.
One of the participants in this action was Isabel Lopes, who lives in Lisbon, who, in a statement to the Lusa agency, praised the Almirante Reis cycle path, considering that it brought “more quality of life to the area”.
“This bike path is spectacular, well done. Ambulances are better off because bicycles dodge better than cars. Lisbon is losing quality of life, with heavy traffic”, he complained.
In the same sense, Catarina Lopes, also resident in Lisbon, justified her presence in the action with the need to “claim a city for people” and with an “equal redistribution of mobilities”.
“I’ve always lived in Lisbon and my mode of transport is a bicycle. This cycle path brought me to the trade in this area. It’s on a central axis that is used by many people”, pointed.
However, Catarina Lopes refers to the criticisms made to the bike path on Avenida Almirante Reis, considering that it was due to the fact that it appeared “suddenly”.
“These cycle paths arose in a pandemic context, in which safer means of transport are produced. We will never be able to satisfy all needs”, attested.
The protest action ended at Praça do Município, in front of Lisbon City Hall, where about a thousand people gathered to demand that the Almirante Reis cycle path not be destroyed and that the priority be the construction of more cycle paths.
“This issue has entered the political debate in an uneasy way. What we want is a more balanced solution and for everyone to move around. What we are asking for is a dialogue”, underlined Miguel Pinto, one of the organizers of the protest.
The elimination of the bike path on Avenida Almirante Reis was one of the measures advocated by the newly elected mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.