Summary:
New lighting being installed at Lisbon bus stops to enhance safety.
Concerns over poor visibility have been raised during council meetings.
Initial installations at bus stops include locations like Rua 1º de Maio and Cais do Sodré.
Future plans focus on stops served by night buses to ensure passenger safety.
Initiative follows a proposal from the Left Bloc for urgent improvements.
New Lighting at Lisbon's Bus Stops
The lack of lighting at bus stops has been a recurring issue discussed in Lisbon's city council meetings. Now, some shelters are finally receiving illumination. The concessionaire has assured that the lighting will be implemented "as quickly as possible".
Image credit: DR/JC Decaux
Shelters where we wait for buses, often in the dark, are starting to be equipped with lights. According to Mensagem de Lisboa, which highlighted the community's concerns about safety in poorly lit waiting areas, all new bus stops in the city will now have lighting. This initiative, proposed by the advertising concessionaire JC Decaux, will see lights installed on the upper panels of each structure as soon as possible.
So far, installation has occurred at a limited number of stops, including one on Rua 1º de Maio, near the new Health Center in Alcântara, and others at the bus terminal in Cais do Sodré. The next phase will focus on stops served by night buses, aiming to ensure safety and comfort for passengers.
Pedro Nave, head of the Pedestrian Accessibility Plan Division of Lisbon, expressed satisfaction with the widespread adaptation of the shelters, emphasizing that lighting conditions at bus stops are critical for people to feel safe. Currently, the only light at many stops comes from public street lamps or advertising panels.
This improvement follows a proposal from the Left Bloc, which called for the urgent implementation of a lighting system at bus stops before the transition to winter hours on October 27. The proposal was approved on July 24, despite the mayor, Carlos Moedas, pointing out "errors in the specifications" of the contract with JC Decaux. Nevertheless, it will be the company's responsibility to finance and install the lighting structures.
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