Following the public outcry over Quarteira’s new bike lane (click here), Loulé council has announced that it will be making some changes to the controversial path between the so-called ‘Rotunda do Polvo’ (octopus roundabout) and the roundabout near the local bus terminal.
Says the council, “the changes aim to solve some of the issues that were reported during the experimental period (from January until now), namely in terms of traffic flow, and the lack of space for vehicle manoeuvres and parking near the lane”.
Residents have called the bike lane an “aberration” and “a bad joke” and threatened to go to court to undo the “damage” that had been done.
The initial works will include the removal of obstacles on the bend near the bus terminal and at the end of the adjacent streets near the Carlos Mota Pinto and Francisco Sá Carneiro avenues and the rearrangement of the current parking situation.
The council will also put up new signposting, create a new shared lane for pedestrians and cyclists between Rua da Alagoa and Rua da Armação, which will be linked to Passeio das Dunas in the future, and the repaving of Rua da Alagoa, Rua da Armação and Rotunda do Polvo.
The council adds that these are “immediate measures that can be reinforced if necessary in the future”.
The bike lane is an initiative by the council’s Quarteira Lab group which aims to make the town more “sustainable and appealing” for residents and visitors.
