Faro wants to move forward with a new Circulation and Parking Plan

Faro wants to include a new Circulation and Parking Plan in the budget, which allows «to help to understand the dynamics of traffic and the existing constraints in the city», he told the Sul Informação councilwoman Sophie Matias, responsible for the urban planning sector. 

«Understand where there should be traffic lights, where there should be one-way streets, two-way streets, where there might be pockets of deterrent parking, that is, free parking spaces located on the edge of the city so that you can arrive in the morning and then make a connection with public transport…», are some of the goals mentioned by Sophie Matias.

This is a plan that the Municipality already wanted to have included in the last budget, but which, due to «other constraints», did not go ahead.

«This stems from the perception that the Municipality had, with the 2021 censuses, that the city’s population has increased, which also means that there is a different dynamic in terms of circulation and cars», stresses Sophie Matias, explaining that it is of a plan that will serve as a complement to the Mobility and Transport plan and thus further improve the flow of traffic.

«The Municipality of Faro has made its way in these matters. When we started revising the PDM, we developed a Mobility and Transport Plan in parallel, and we were one of the pioneer municipalities at national level to do so, because we realized that it was important to have this perception of how we could strategically look at this issue of mobility in the city. Therefore, following this Mobility and Transport Plan, approved in 2018, we realize that this is such a strategic plan that it now needs to be fine-tuned and understood in more detail».

Thus, the Circulation and Parking Plan appears, which will allow, according to the councilor for urbanism, to understand how everything will work both in terms of the road network, as well as pedestrian and cycle paths.

And Faro «a city of services, but also of dormitories», there were always traffic peaks, «in the morning and in the late afternoon», but that intensified with the population increase, leading to the need to implement this new plan.

the work of 3rd Circular, of which one of the sections has already been inaugurated, is, according to Sophie Matias, «helping to reduce flows at the two main entrances to the city, on the Olhão and Loulé side, and to distribute traffic».

After the inauguration of this first section, which included the requalification of Avenida 25 de Abril and the creation of a new roundabout next to Estrada da Penha, the next step is the completion of works on the Avenida Mario Lyster Franco, in the Lejana area, in Faro, (between Estrada da Senhora da Saúde and EN2/Avenida 25 de Abril), whose contract was awarded at the beginning of the month.

«I think that, with these two sections, the one that was inaugurated and the one that will be under construction, we will have a great help in diluting traffic and people will no longer need to enter Baixa. Just as the Airport will manage to have some dilution of traffic, since, instead of entering the Forúm/Teatro area, we will be able to take another route to leave the Olhão side of Estrada da Penha», explains Sophie Matias.

After these two works, the section between the Senhora da Saúde road and the Marchil roundabout still needs to be advanced, which, according to the councilwoman, also already has a project, but it is a more complex work since it involves land private.

In addition to these plans, the Detailed Plan for Vale Carneiros is still being developed internally: «a strategic assessment that will finally create the so-called Rua A», says Sophie Matias.

In this sense, the famous EN2 roundabout will become an oval roundabout, which will connect to a new road that will connect it to the existing roundabout next to the Continente, on Avenida 25 de Abril, where there will later also be an oval roundabout that will make so that between Rua do Alportel and Rua A there is a circuit.

«These are two very identical streets in terms of profile and this will resolve many issues in terms of traffic, as it will lighten Alportel street, and will bring a new entrance to the city, which will continue within the scope of the Urbanization Plan of Vale da Amoreira», reveals the councilor to the Sul Informação. 

As for the transformation of the 738 Rotunda, Sophie Matias stresses that it will continue to be a tourist spot, but will be even safer due to its enlargement.

In addition, the mayor reveals to our newspaper that the new roundabout, next to the mainland, will also make reference to the route of the EN2, which connects Chaves to Faro, which will allow you to disperse attention.

Asked about deadlines for the implementation of the new Circulation and Parking Plan, Sophie Matias refers that there are still no scheduled dates, but that it is expected that, by the end of the year, the plan will be developed.