“The Lisbon City Council is advised to instruct its subsidiary, EMEL [Empresa Municipal de Mobilidade e Estacionamento de Lisboa], to ensure the completion of the Avenida da Índia cycle path project by the end of the first half of 2027. This route will connect Avenida Fernão Mendes Pinto to the Alcântara viaduct,” municipal deputies resolved, with dissenting votes from Chega and approval from the remaining members.
This recommendation emerges from the consideration of a petition led by the Lisbon Possible movement, advocating for a segregated cycle path along Avenida da Índia following the deaths of two cyclists in the Belém district. These incidents occurred in June 2021 and December 2024, involving collisions with motorists.
During hearings on this petition in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, EMEL President Carlos Silva confirmed that “the cycle path on Avenida da Índia will become a reality by the end of the first half of 2027,” as noted in a report by PS deputy Luís Coelho.
In these discussions, Deputy Mayor Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), responsible for mobility, announced that “eight traffic calming and road safety measures will be implemented shortly on Avenida da Índia.” Additional interventions will include speed reduction cushions, colored bands, speed pictograms, and “a bidirectional cycle lane either segregated or shared with the pedestrian path.”
Presenting the petition in plenary session, petitioner Ksenia Ashrafullina wore a helmet and reflective vest, challenging deputies with the question of whether they found this “outfit” ridiculous, ultimately stating that allowing cyclists’ deaths in the city is what’s truly ridiculous.
Another petitioner, Rita Prates, noted: “In three years, two people have died there, and every day that passes presents a potential deadly risk for another cyclist or pedestrian. I ask, who will be next to die there if nothing is done?”
Fernando Ribeiro Rosa (PSD), President of the Belém Parish Council, emphasized that “this cycle path should be developed sensibly,” noting he had seen various project versions. He expressed opposition to a proposal that aimed to remove a traffic lane in exchange for a cycle path from Algés to Lisbon.
“We are completely against any cycle path on Avenida da Índia that eliminates a traffic lane. We need to keep at least two lanes in each direction,” he argued, calling it “a matter of common sense” and reminding that a cycle path already exists along the waterfront.
Criticizing the petitioners for “playing around” with cycle paths, the Belém mayor remarked: “I lament some past deaths [in bicycle accidents], but there have also been car-related and other fatalities.”
At this meeting, the assembly also reviewed a petition regarding road safety at Voz do Operário in Graça, unanimously recommending that the council enhance public lighting, especially in high child-traffic areas; refurbish crosswalks and evaluate the feasibility of elevated crosswalks compatible with tram routes; implement a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour on Rua da Voz do Operário; and explore the creation of a ‘kiss and ride’ zone to facilitate the safe drop-off of children.
