The petition, "Downtown with less traffic and better air quality," from the Santa Maria Maior Residents and Friends Association, with the support of the environmental association Zero, was delivered today to mark World Sustainable Transport Day at the Lisbon City Hall (CML).

In statements to Lusa news agency, Rita Prates, from Zero, said that the petition, which points out several problems in that area of ​​the city and proposes measures, was delivered to the municipality.

“They received the petition, highlighting that the city hall should soon present some measures related to mobility. They also told us that the city hall has an open channel for everyone to discuss these issues,” she indicated.

“Priority”

With this petition, residents and Zero intend to challenge municipal institutions to take on these problems “as a priority in the mandate for which they were recently elected, prioritizing regular and flexible public transport and active mobility, reducing vehicle traffic, improving air quality and returning public space to the people.”

“This petition comes in the context of a downtown Lisbon area that has excessive traffic. Zero measured air quality in several streets of the downtown area and we found that the values ​​are well above those of the World Health Organization,” indicated Rita Prates, highlighting that traffic is compromising the health, safety and quality of life of those who live, work or visit that area.

According to Rita Prates, the petition proposes measures of good sustainable mobility practices that will restore quality of life to people.

Among the measures are the restriction of non-electric vehicle circulation – a zero-emission zone (ZEZ) between Rua da Madalena, Largo José Saramago, Cais do Sodré, Chiado, Rossio and Praça da Figueira, with the exception of residents of the parish of Santa Maria Maior, and emergency vehicles.

Speed limits

“We also propose the creation of exclusive lanes for public transport and that this be an area where the speed limit is not exceeded 30 kilometres per hour”.

The measures also include prioritizing underground parking for residents of the parish, creating designated areas for tuk-tuks and ride-hailing services to stop and pick up passengers, avoiding congestion on historic streets, and ensuring accessibility for people with reduced mobility.

The requalification of sidewalks and interconnection of the cycle path network, transparent planning and active community participation are other measures requested in the petition.

"We want Baixa to be a good example of a people-friendly city, a sustainable, intelligent and futuristic city, and an example for the rest of the city and for other Portuguese cities," he said.