Mobility in Baixa de Lisboa heats up as petition and ACP clash over Rua da Prata

The debate over mobility in Baixa de Lisboa has flared up again, pitting two completely opposing ideas against each other for the future of the “heart of the capital”. On one side is a petition calling for a sharp clampdown on car traffic; on the other is the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), which argues the answer is precisely to give cars more room.

Baixa de Lisboa mobility debate returns to the spotlight

Launched in September, the petition “Baixa de Lisboa with less traffic and better air quality” was discussed at a hearing organised by the Santa Maria Maior Residents’ Association. Even so, it was comments from ACP president Carlos Barbosa that drew most attention.

Quoted by Público, Carlos Barbosa was unequivocal: he not only opposed any further limits on car traffic in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, but also backed reopening Rua da Prata to private vehicles. It is worth recalling that the street had been closed since December 2022 after a collapse in an underground sewer.

Areas where ACP and petitioners overlap

Although he supports some of the petitioners’ proposals - including stronger road safety, a 30 km/h speed limit, parking priority for residents, and tighter control over the growth of tuk-tuks and TVDE - the ACP head rejects the idea of drastically cutting car access to downtown Lisbon.

Rua da Prata at the centre of the row

For Carlos Barbosa, shutting Rua da Prata created an unnecessary bottleneck in Baixa traffic. Since November 2023, when the road reopened after works, it has only been available to trams, bicycles, e-scooters and pedestrians.

“I never understood why they closed it,” said the ACP president, arguing that Rua da Madalena has been left overloaded, with no viable alternative route for car traffic. In his view, the connection between Praça da Figueira and the riverfront remains a key mobility axis in the city centre.

According to Carlos Barbosa, allowing cars back onto Rua da Prata would ease some of the pressure currently concentrated on Rua da Madalena, where buses and other vehicles regularly face congestion.

A Baixa with fewer cars?

On the opposing side is the petition, which denounces what it sees as an “excess of cars” in Baixa de Lisboa. The document points to constant tailbacks, delays to public transport, and negative public-health effects caused by the high volume of combustion-engine vehicles.

Among the measures proposed is the creation of a Zona de Zero Emissões (ZZE), which would restrict access for non-electric vehicles within an area covering Cais do Sodré, Chiado, Rossio, Praça da Figueira and Rua da Madalena, with exceptions for residents and emergency vehicles.

The petitioners also call for more BUS lanes, upgraded pavements, continuity in the cycle network, and better conditions for walking.

Carlos Barbosa argues, however, that a measure on this scale would be unworkable in Portugal’s current reality. The ACP president maintains that the share of electric vehicles on the road is still far too low to sustain such a wide-reaching restriction.