Environmentally friendly and more sustainable mobility is being celebrated, in the South, by eight municipalities in the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo, which have launched initiatives within the scope of the European Car Free Day and the European Mobility Week. Albufeira, Beja, Faro, Lagoa, Loulé, Olhão, Portimão and São Brás de Alportel did not want to be left out and encourage the population to leave their car parked and use public or non-polluting means of transport.
This is the 13th edition of the European Mobility Week, which includes the European Car Free Day, 22 September. In 2014, more than two thousand cities in the European Union will join the initiative, whose motto is “Our streets, our choice”. With this maxim, it is intended "to encourage citizens to "reconquer" urban spaces with a view to creating the city in which they want to live", according to the EU.
Around here, there are initiatives for all tastes, some very original. This is the case of Olhão, where the celebrations will be led by the local PSP, which will promote, on Sunday, a day full of activities, with a solidarity nature, which will have mobility and the environment as a central theme.
In several municipalities, the “party” has already started on Tuesday, the day the European Mobility Week started. Lagoa, Loulé, Beja and Portimão will not only focus on the European Car Free Day and will launch initiatives over several days.
Em Lagoa, since the 16th, activities have been promoted with the Traffic School and exhibitions of vehicles with "Zero Emission" and "Hybrids", of the Renault and Nissan brands, in various educational establishments in the county (16,17, 18 and 22).
Tomorrow, Friday, the footbridge of AIgar Seco will be inaugurated and, on Saturday, the «Pedestrian Walk of the 7 Suspended Valleys» and a Mobility Festival will be promoted.
On Sunday, there is another ride, this time by bicycle, along the Ecovia, with a length of 15 kilometers.
Next Monday, the day on which the European Car Free Day is celebrated, Lagoa, Carvoeiro and Ferragudo join the initiative.
Em Beja, the local authority launched several activities, of an environmental and cultural nature, which culminate in the European Car Free Day, which will motivate «some restrictions on traffic, between 9 am and 23:30 pm at Largo de São João, Rua Dr. Brito Camacho and a small section of Jardim do Bacalhau».
Throughout the week, the exhibition «Before and After» will be on display at Largo de São João, Praça da República, Rua Capitão João Francisco de Sousa and Jardim do Bacalhau, and there will be an awareness-raising action in the area of hygiene and cleaning «Rua Up Street Down».
Tonight there is fado, at Portas de Mértola, at 21 pm, with fado singers Ana Rato and Ana Tareco, and on Saturday the 30th edition of Mercado Livre will take place, at Largo do Lidador.
Em Loulé, urban public transport is free, from Tuesday until September 22nd, for the citizens of Loulé (TUL) and Quarteira (TUQ) who present the card «European Mobility Week – Municipality of Loulé». To get it, all you need to do is shop at the local stores in the two cities. This is a partnership between the municipality of Loulé and ACRAL.
On Saturday, the «Loulé a Pé» initiative takes place, the result of collaboration between the municipality and the Almargem Association, which consists of a walk through Loulé, passing by the main places of visit in the city, in order to identify possible problems in mobility urban pedestrian.
The municipality promises to use the information collected in future interventions in the city's prime area. Today and tomorrow, there are peddypapers, in the historic center of Loulé and in the Municipal Park, respectively.
Em Portimão, the European Mobility Week is also marked with an incentive to use public transport, in this case the “Vai e Vem” urban routes, which will be free from 20 to 22 September, for those who present a passport. of the Snack Route, gastronomic event that is being promoted by the Portimonense local authority.
In Portimão, it was also implemented a Coexistence Zone on Rua Direita. This is an area of the public road specially designed for shared use by pedestrians and vehicles, where special traffic rules are in force, duly signposted, and which allow the use of the entire width of the public road.
In these places, drivers must pay particular attention to not compromising the safety and comfort of other road users, with a maximum speed of 20 km/h being permissible.
Em Faro, Albufeira, São Brás de Alportel and Olhão, the initiatives are concentrated in just one day. In addition to the aforementioned event in Olhão, there is the initiative «Give truce to polluting transport», on Sunday, in São Brás de Alportel, and the challenge of having a more environmentally friendly day, on September 22, in Faro and Albufeira.
Em Sao Bras, the event «Give respite to polluting transports» foresees the closing of the traffic of part of the North Circular, for three hours, between the roundabout of the EN 2 (where the Circular crosses the EN 2, towards Alportel) and the intersection of the circular with the Liberty avenue. The challenge launched by the municipality is “stop the car and find alternative forms of transport that are friendly to the environment and health”.
Albufeira challenges citizens to join the European Car Free Day, traveling «on foot, by bicycle, in public transport or in a shared private car» and promotes a 6,5 km walk, which will start from the car park in front of the Paços do Municipality, at 20:30.
Em Faro, a conference will be held at the Municipal Museum, on Monday, at 15 pm, where Mobility in the city of Faro will be on the table, as well as the first 100 percent electric minibus, launched a few months ago in the Algarve capital.
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