The Lisbon City Council has approved proposals from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, the PS, and the PCP regarding measures in response to the accident involving the Glória elevator, ranging from victim support to the creation of a transparency portal.
The proposals were approved “almost unanimously or unanimously in many cases” during the council’s extraordinary meeting, stated the city’s vice president, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), who mentioned an effort to consolidate the three documents into one, although it was not possible, leading the executive to vote on each separately.
The Glória elevator, managed by Carris, derailed on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in 16 fatalities and dozens injured, including Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Anacoreta Correia highlighted a tribute to all those involved in the accident, particularly the brakeman, who was “a true hero, who died in service,” and the measures to support the victims.
“From the perspective of information, there is a very strong desire to make all information available,” stated the vice president, highlighting the creation of a transparency portal, accessible to everyone.
“No one is dealing with this defensively or with concerns about being challenged. We want all information to be public knowledge, regardless of the consequences,” he stated, adding that “on Carris’s side, there is a great desire to fully clarify this tragedy, this event that should not have happened.”
Anacoreta Correia emphasized that safety is a top priority: “In all decisions we made, safety was always absolutely decisive, and in the future, safety will surely prevail over any other type of criteria, so there will be no limits, neither ideological nor financial, to restore confidence in Carris’s public passenger transport in Lisbon.”
From the PS, Pedro Anastácio commended the approval of the socialist administration’s proposal for “supporting the victims, full clarification, and restoring confidence in the future of the city,” expressing regret that the suggestion to hear the president of Carris again was approved with votes against from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership.
The PS’s proposal includes the creation of a memorial on Calçada da Glória and a Municipal Support Office for Victims and a Municipal Victim Support Fund, as well as a public monitoring panel on the Lisbon City Council portal and an external audit committee that must include universities.
The socialist also accused the city council president, Carlos Moedas (PSD), of “trying to hide at one of the darkest moments in the city’s history” by not speaking to journalists and passing the responsibility to the vice president.
The PCP councilor João Ferreira praised the unanimous approval of his proposal, highlighting support for the victims and their families and the creation of an evaluation committee for the commencement of service internalization by Carris.
While appreciating the approval of the measures, the communist warned that “things cannot remain on paper as so often happens.”
João Ferreira stated that it is necessary to create conditions to quickly restore safety and calm in the use of these facilities, noting that there is now a phase for listening to representatives of Carris workers to identify at what points safety concerns and reports were made and what measures were taken in that context.
“The tender document arising from today’s meeting is something to be implemented right away, but it is not something to be done in three to four weeks, and it is not at all indifferent to how it will be conducted depending on the outcome of the [October 12 municipal] elections,” stated the PCP candidate and CDU (PCP/PEV) head of the list to the Lisbon City Council.
The communist emphasized the need for an evaluation of what each understands in the city as necessary changes to prevent a recurrence of what happened.
From BE, Ricardo Moreira criticized the PSD/CDS-PP proposal, noting that the installation of predictive monitoring sensors in elevators and funiculars, to detect vibrations, loads, and real-time wear with automatic alert systems for anomalies, is dependent on European funding.
Considering the city council has the means to acquire these sensors, the bloquista accused the city council president, Carlos Moedas (PSD), of avoiding clarifications and stated, “Some things cannot be explained, namely the presence of his campaign director [António Valle], who is not a Lisbon City Council employee, within the security perimeter of the Glória elevator tragedy.”
“That is absolutely inexplicable. It’s from someone who manages the Lisbon City Council as a communication agency rather than as a council, and this should make us reflect on these four years where everything was propaganda and few were the solutions in Lisbon,” articulated the BE representative.
From Cidadãos por Lisboa (CPL, elected by the PS/Livre coalition), Floresbela Pinto reinforced the need to determine the responsibilities of the accident and “as soon as possible” draw conclusions and “correct what needs correction to prevent this tragedy from happening again in Lisbon.”
The CPL abstained from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership’s proposal, arguing that the document “softens and does not critically reflect on what happened and ultimately tries to mitigate the municipality’s responsibility,” reminding that it is a municipal facility where the city council has the capacity and duty to oversee.
[News updated at 18:17]
