Moedas demands praise from the left for the discovery of Rua da Prata

Lisbon’s mayor on Tuesday claimed praise from the left for the reopening of Rua da Prata, to which the president of the parish council of Santa Maria Mayor attributed “half the praise because he only renovated half the street.”

“You cannot pedestrianize one street at the expense of another, and what is happening on Rua da Madalena is unacceptable, more than 6,000 cars a day. Or create ZER. [Zona de Emissões Reduzidas] or does not create a ZER,” said the president of the parish council of Santa Maria Mayor, Miguel Coelho (PS), in charge of managing the territory in which Rua da Prata is located.

At a meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly to present and respond to the work of the municipal executive between September and October, Mayor Carlos Moedas (PSD) highlighted the intervention on Rua da Prata, which has been under construction since December 2022 and has reopened. November 24 without car traffic and with a bicycle path, hoping to “hear praise” from left-wing parties.

“I never listen to small compliments. I don’t ask for big compliments. […] They talked so much about ZER,” explained the SDP mayor.

Defending the interests of the residents of the parish of Santa Maria Mayor, socialist Miguel Coelho said: “I can only give you half a compliment, because you have only renovated half of the street, and the rest of the street is still an old sewer.”

For the Livre party, Isabel Mendez Lopez welcomed the president’s decision to open the Rua da Prata to people, but warned of the need to create green areas and the need for a joint approach so as not to affect other arteries such as the Rua da Madalena.

Carlos Moedas agreed with the creation of green areas on the street and supported the joint concept to reduce traffic in Baixa by installing CCTV cameras to control the entry of cars into this part of the city, believing that “it makes no sense to create physical barriers.”

The PSD mayor also committed to assessing the change in traffic directions on the sides of Avenida da Liberdade, believing that this solution reduces pollution, but data is needed to prove this, with the possibility of taking action depending on the results.

PAN’s António Morgado Valente asked about the decision to close the homeless reception center at the Santa Barbara barracks, to which the mayor defended the implementation of a social innovation project in the north wing of the Military Services in Beato, a property that the government had already planned to transfer to the council, but which backed out within this municipal mandate under the leadership of the SDP/CDS-PP.

“It’s a little strange and unfortunate. The city council will continue to fight for the right to have this northern wing,” emphasized Carlos Moedas.

Councilor for Human and Social Rights Sophia Atayde (CDS-PP) said the municipal homeless plan 2024-2030 will be presented on December 13 and includes 81 measures, including homelessness interventions, food distribution, shelters specifically designed for for older people and people with mental illness, as well as immediate housing provision for daily overnight accommodation, with a budget of €70 million.

Deputy Miguel Graça from Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) criticized the “use of illusionistic tricks” in a number of houses built by the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, while Vasco Barata from BE accused Carlos Moedas of propaganda about the 1,400 houses already delivered, deploring the regarding the current leader’s decision to “stop all public construction projects” and choose a “solution that benefits real estate investors.”

“What projects have we stopped? Which private speculators did I prefer? […] It offends me deeply when you say that I gave preference to someone,” explained Carlos Moedas.