More than 30,000 voters registered in Benfica can take part this Sunday in a referendum on the possibility of expanding the paid parking lots of the Municipal Transport and Parking Company of Lisbon (EMEL) in this district of Lisbon.
The question will be asked: “Do you agree that the Benfica parish council is giving a positive opinion on the placement of parking meters in limited-time parking lots in Benfica?”.
Voters registered in the Benfica district will have to answer yes or no.
On Thursday, the Benfica board president told Luza that he intends to respect the decision taken in this Sunday’s referendum to extend paid parking in the parish, which will be the first referendum in the city of Lisbon.
Even though the result of the referendum is “non-binding”, Ricardo Márquez reminded him that it would be “very easy” for him to make a “special” decision about a certain place in a parish, street, small square, block”, but this would “transfer the issue to next contiguous zone,” he explained.
The mayor added that he currently has two petitions pending in the Municipal Assembly, one for “yes” for EMEL to enter the restricted area, and the other for a ban on paid parking.
“On Sunday [hoje]if yes wins, [a EMEL] will enter zone 9F. If the result is negative, (…) the position of the board is not to introduce more zones at Benfica, he stressed.
Ricardo Márquez also warned that parishes that are “residential residences” such as Benfica, “the country’s sixth most densely populated area”, which lacks parking, need “more investment from the municipality” in this area. “.
“We cannot remain hostages of this logic, according to which EMEL is engaged in parking, because it is a company and, therefore, it makes sense to generate income. There should be municipal investment in the creation of deep parking lots or bunkers, as is the case in other areas of the city. “, he stressed.
On Friday, EMEL declined to say whether it would respect the results of this Sunday’s referendum so as not to “influence the debate.”
In a response sent to Lusa, the company explained that it is part of the public business sector and is “particularly bound and committed to the duty of exemption established by the legal regime of the local referendum.”
“Unwilling, unable and unable to influence the debate and the election campaign in any way,” we read in the answer, he refused to comment on this issue until the referendum was held.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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