Rede 20 has been created to make public spaces available for everyone

The Municipality of Porto will implement a network of priority routes for soft mobility options that will cover about 30 kilometres of streets. In many cases, it will establish a maximum speed of 20km/hour for vehicles circulating, and the priority for pedestrians and soft mobility options, in a concept of shared public space. The first implementation phase of this project, named Rede 20, has already started in the Historical Center, with specific road signs and measures to slow down traffic having been implemented already.

“Car drivers will have to understand that they can only circulate at speeds that are compatible with soft mobility transportation (bicycles) and pedestrians, that we do not wish to hinder the use of cars”, Rui Moreira, city mayor, stated, after having gone through one of the areas covered by Rede 20, this Tuesday.

The first phase of the project, which starts today, ensures the implementation of measures with the purpose of discouraging certain speeds in 12 of the 30 kilometres of streets, such as the placement of road signs and speed bumps. Out of the 12 kilometres, 3 are already existing Zonas de Acesso Automóvel Condicionado (ZAAC).

Accompanied by the Councillor of Urbanism, Pedro Baganha, the mayor showed confidence that the population and car drivers will adhere and understand this option. The same has happened with, for example, the implementation of the Zonas de Acesso Automóvel Condicionado. “The ZAAC have been a notorious success. The experiences in, for instance, Ribeira, proved successful in satisfying both residents and shop owners.

“We are complying with what was defined in the PDM”

With this new network, the public space will have different streets: some destined for cars, which integrate the road system defined in the Plano Diretor Municipal (PDM), and other with limitation to road traffic, and that will now integrate the Rede 20. According to the mayor, the executive is “complying with what was defined in the PDM”. In some areas of the city, it is necessary to ensure roads have more than one utility, unlike what has been the norm for quite some time”, he added.

Rede 20 concerns a central area of the city, in a 2.4 km2 polygon which encompasses the streets Álvares Cabral and Gonçalo Cristóvão, in the north, the Restauração, D. Manuel II, Maternidade, Boa Nova and Boa Hora, to the west, and the streets of Alegria and Fontaínhas, in the east. All streets in this area will be part of this new project, which amounts to a total of 52km.

This implementation will be gradual. The changes required will be fulfilled in a three year time frame, as it is necessary to allow the centre of Porto to be freed of the constraints caused by the subway works. The implementation will require some changes to the public space, as has already happened in Rua Alexandre Braga, but will also happen through other tactical and more immediate actions, such as signalization in the area, accompanied by other measures to prevent high speeds.

Parking for residents is ensured

“By the end of the plan, there will be 30 kilometres of streets with limited car circulation, either totally allocated to pedestrians or the limited access or reduced speed. All types of streets are compatible with Rede 20”, the councillor of Urbanism Pedro Baganha ensured, adding that “57% of the streets will have limited car usage”.

Parking will be ensured on these streets for residents and for loading and unloading vehicles. In total, the programme includes 51,4 kilometres of streets, and out of these 21,8 km are destined for the road system, while 29,6% will be used by soft mobility means of transportation.

“If drivers maintain the 20km/h as they will, and as we will control [with the presence of the PSP and the municipal police], naturally people will feel safer to walk in the middle of the street and bicycles will be able to circulate”, Rui Moreira asserts.