The Municipality of Funchal (CMF) is going to change the project of the cycle path, on Estrada Monumental next to the Baía Azul Hotel, to allow two lanes (Funchal-Câmara de Lobos and Câmara de Lobos-Funchal) as it existed before, thus avoiding that cars coming from Câmara de Lobos are obliged to go down through the aforementioned hotel. The change announced today by the President of the CMF implies that the cycle path is removed by about 100 meters, and the project may be resumed in the future if urban solutions are found, which currently involve 3 properties north of the Estrada Monumental .
During the electoral campaign, Pedro Calado had already made the commitment to find an alternative to the problem of traffic congestion that currently exists in that area. The president of the CMF considers it urgent to take a decision at this point in terms of the future, taking into account the foreseeable increase in housing that will be built in that western zone. For Pedro Calado, it didn’t make any sense, given the limitation of lanes, to favor a cycle path to the detriment of car traffic, which is currently a necessity for the entire population. The works were stopped, but they have already been resumed. Completion is scheduled for late January to early February.
Pedro Calado also announced that after completing this contract, he will open a new tender procedure, to remove the central dividers and pins in the path of the bike path at Ponte do Ribeiro Seco, creating there a privileged lane for the circulation of priority vehicles and passenger transport, work which is expected to be completed in March of next year. “We cannot do it sooner, because we are talking about a work that had the approval of the Court of Auditors and, legally, we are obliged to comply with deadlines and procedures, but we urgently have to rectify what was not done well”, stressed the president of Funchal City Hall.
Do they actually use the cycle lanes, because from my experience driving through funchal, they don’t, so I believe its all a waste of money, and so much work that isn’t needed.
I will have to get photos of this to prove the point that they are hardly used.