Lisbon’s company for parking and mobility (EMEL) reported last December to have increased the city’s cycle lane network by an extra 14 kilometers, aiming to create a 200 km network by 2021. Ultimately, EMEL intends to provide 93% of the population with cycle paths that are less than 300 meters from their home, an amenity that currently only 49% of the population has access to. During the first quarter of 2021, EMEL is working on introducing 700+ additional e-bikes to their bike-sharing network, GIRA. Until now, the network counted 600 bikes, either electrical or mechanical. GIRA’s users will soon be able to choose from a total of 1300 bikes.
By next summer, EMEL is also planning to add 80 bike-sharing stations to the already existing 84 stations in Lisbon. According to EMEL, these ambitious measures will boost active and sustainable mobility in the Portuguese capital.
Since its introduction in 2017, GIRA bikes were used for 3,6 million rides and it is estimated that about 300 tons of CO2 emissions have been saved by shifting away from other, more polluting, modes of transport. Luís Natal Marques, EMEL President, is confident about EMEL’s work for the people of Lisbon and believes that they have actively contributed to the 8,7% drop in Portugal’s CO2 emissions, as registered on Eurostat.
EMEL is committed to invest in a safer and more sustainable city for future generations, and Luís Natal Marques further believes that the company will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
By Nolwen Graver,
February 9th, 2021
Source:
https://eco.sapo.pt/2020/12/30/lisboa-com-mais-700-bicicletas-eletricas-ate-final-de-marco-de-2021/
