Portuguese city of Guimarães goes green with new bicycle lanes

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The citizens of Guimarães now have infrastructure that connects the city and its natural surroundings. These bicycle lanes represent a key element in the city’s intermodal mobility network. The combined use of bicycles, public transport – which is intended to be electric – and walking routes is one path Guimarães is taking towards implementing sustainable development policy.Domingos Bragança, Mayor of Guimarães MunicipalityWhether going to work, school, or the store, citizens of Guimarães can now get there by bike. That’s thanks to Ecovia, a new network of bicycle routes that connect the main residential areas with the commercial zone, cultural landmarks, schools, hospitals, the train station, and everywhere in between.The initiative is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions by promoting green transportation. The 13 km of dedicated bike lanes are clearly marked, thus ensuring the safety of its users.Convenient and sustainableThe project’s main objective was to make bicycling convenient and efficient. To do this, city planners purposely designed the network to connect the city’s key points. Not only did this mean creating routes that facilitated commuting to work or school by bike, but also routes that integrated bicycles into the urban transportation system. Thus, some routes go to bus and train stations and parking garages. As a result, commuters can use a bicycle for either a first or last mile form of transportation.Showcasing the city’s natural heritageThe new routes are also meant to serve a recreational purpose and showcase the city’s cultural and natural heritage. This was accomplished by connecting the new routes with the area’s existing cycling trail. Now, citizens can essentially bike from their doorstep in Guimarães to the slopes of Mesão Frio, and back, along an old converted railroad.The first step towards a regional networkThis is just the first phase of a much larger mobility plan. During the next phase, bicycle lanes will be created to connect Guimarães to the neighbouring towns of Brito, Ronfe, Pevidém, and Caldas das Taipas, along with routes to Penha Mountain and along the picturesque Ave River. The result will be a truly regional bicycle network.Total investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “Guimarães Ecovia” is EUR 2 722 025, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 2 313 721 through the NORTE 2020 – Portugal Norte Region Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy”.