Lisbon City Council plans to build five car parks to dissuade drivers from bringing their cars into the city centre, in an investment of €17 million between 2023 and 2026, the deputy mayor announced on Tuesday, explaining that a discount for residents would be implemented afterwards.
“First of all, we will make the investment in car parks, and then we will consider implementing the 50% discount on parking”, by the Lisbon Municipal Mobility and Parking Company (EMEL), for residents throughout the city of Lisbon, said Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), at the presentation of Lisbon’s municipal budget proposal for 2023, which took place at the city hall on Tuesday.
The discount on EMEL parking was one of the electoral commitments of the “New Times” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance), led by the now mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD). It was included in the municipal budget for 2022, although it was never implemented.
In response to journalists, Anacoreta Correia said that the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs without an absolute majority, “has not abandoned this commitment”, noting that the 50% discount measure on EMEL parking “introduces a traffic management tool in Lisbon, as it penalises people who are not residents”.
In this context, the municipal budget proposal for 2023 includes the construction of five car parks to dissuade drivers from bringing their cars into the city centre, namely Pontinha Norte, Pontinha Sul, Lumiar /Azinhaga, Braço de Prata and Cidade Universitária.
