Porto’s mayor on Monday criticised the stations designed by architect Alvaro Siza Vieira and being built for the Marechal Gomes da Costa metrobus, claiming they looked like they were “made by Obelix”.
“There are things that I really don’t like. If you ask me if I understand that they are building stations on Avenida da Boavista or Marechal Gomes da Costa, I don’t like it. That’s my opinion, I don’t understand why they are doing this,” Mayor Rui Moreira said during the Porto Municipal Assembly on Monday evening.
Rui Moreira, who intervened after elected Socialist Rui Lage criticised the priority given to the car on Avenida da Boavista, argued that the metrobus stations should resemble the new bus stops built in the city.
“I look at these boulders, the ones that bother me the most, even have the author’s signature, which are in Marechal Gomes da Costa, which in my opinion should be tight and light, glass things and there should not be things that look like they were made by Obelix,” he said, comparing the situation to the national football team.
“It’s a question of sacred cows,” he said. Despite the criticism, the independent mayor welcomed some of the options proposed in the Metrobus project, such as the width of the sidewalks and the resulting elimination of surface parking, the placement of trees on the sidewalks and the removal of the monument The businessman there creates a “forest of trees.”
Rui Moreira also considered it “good news” that the project is maintaining the bike path between the intersection of Marechal Gomes da Costa and Castelo do Queijo streets.
“Avenida da Boavista does not have the same track width. Below, we can keep the bike path even if we reduce the number of lanes,” he said, complaining that Avenida da Boavista “does not have enough space for everything.”
The independent mayor also stressed that the importance of this artery and its connection to Via de Cintura Interna (VCI) will not allow the roadway to be reduced to one lane.
“We are not at that stage yet. If the metrobus meets traffic expectations, perhaps we can create a metro with greater capacity,” said Rui Moreira.
This year, the Metrobus will connect Casa da Música with Praça do Império (in 12 minutes) and Anémona (in 17 minutes). Work on the first phase began at the end of January 2023: the planned stations are Casa da Música, Guerra Junqueiro, Bessa, Pinheiro Manso, Serralves, João de Barros and Império on the first route and on the section to Matosinhos. In addition to Antunes, Guimarães, Garcia de Orta, Nevogilde, Castelo do Queixo and Praça Cidade do Salvador (Anemona) will be added.
Initially, the “metrobus” project was planned only to Praça do Império, but since the cost of the grant (25 million euros) was lower than 66 million euros, the government decided to extend the service to Praça Cidade do Salvador, known as Anémona, in Matosinhos.
The investment initially planned for the Metrobus, amounting to 66 million euros, is fully financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), and an additional 10 million can also be financed by the PRR, the Environment Fund or the state budget.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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