Portimão Strengthens Commitment to Sustainable Urban Mobility with New Mobility Advisory Council Agreement
Portimão has taken a significant step forward in its drive towards sustainable and inclusive urban mobility with the formal signing of the Commitment Agreement for the Portimão Mobility Advisory Council, held yesterday in a ceremony that brought together a broad spectrum of local and regional stakeholders.
The event was notably characterised by the presence of a diverse array of representatives. These included, among others, members of the municipal executive, chairs of parish councils, delegates from all political parties represented in the Municipal Assembly, as well as regional authorities, educational institutions, healthcare providers, the police and civil protection services, transport operators, business associations, and advocacy groups for users of active travel and accessible transport modes.
Advisory Council
To commence the session, the Mayor of Portimão expressed his heartfelt appreciation to all attendees and underlined the significance of the newly established Advisory Council. He presented it as a vital platform for fostering active engagement in the pursuit of more effective, humane, and integrated mobility solutions. Furthermore, he reiterated the municipality’s strong commitment to addressing traffic and mobility issues, highlighting the urgent necessity for practical and timely solutions.
In fact, as the Mayor pointed out, the municipality of Portimão has already invested in excess of €30 million in this sector within the past year alone—several projects have either reached completion or are currently in progress.
“Portimão has experienced rapid growth; indeed, more than 15,000 vehicles enter and exit the city on a daily basis. Therefore, it is imperative that we introduce measures to alleviate this pressure and enhance the everyday lives of our residents,” he stated.
The City Councillor for Mobility contextualised this initiative within the framework of Portimão’s recently approved Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), underlining that the implementation of the plan will be overseen and monitored by this new Council.
Engineer Paula Teles, a specialist contracted by the council and one of the key figures behind the “Accessible Portimão Route”, outlined the five strategic pillars of the local authority’s action plan: “Walkable Portimão”, “Cyclable Portimão”, “Promotion of Public Transport and Modal Integration”, “Optimisation of the Road Network”, and “Parking and Urban Logistics Management”.
With the signing of this agreement, the members of the Advisory Council commit to promoting local policies that encourage sustainable, low-carbon, and people-centred mobility, in line with both national and European objectives for carbon neutrality and improved quality of urban life.
