Lisbon's Urban Mobility Plan: A Sneak Peek into the Future of City Transport

The Discreet Launch of Lisbon's Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS)

In a very quiet manner, the Lisbon City Council has begun drafting its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), which will guide the city's mobility strategy until 2030-2040. While there is an online survey and participatory sessions currently underway, public dissemination has been nearly non-existent.

Tram 28 stuck in traffic in Baixa (photo LPP)

Since 2022, the PMUS has been awaited as a crucial document for strategic decisions, such as creating a Zero Emission Zone (ZER) in the historic center. However, the process has only just now begun, and it has been quite discreet. Workshops are ongoing by invitation, and there is an online survey that, despite being available for two weeks and closing soon, has seen minimal publicity. The lack of noise from the Lisbon City Council regarding the PMUS stands in stark contrast to the robust communication surrounding other issues, such as the Citizens' Council or the restructuring of Avenida Almirante Reis.

What is the PMUS and Why Does it Matter?

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan will outline the city's entire mobility strategy, with goals set for 2030 and 2040. It will include an action plan with concrete measures, specifying responsible entities, investment values, potential social, environmental, and mobility impacts, and possible national and European funding sources.

The PMUS will be based on a diagnosis of mobility in the city, utilizing existing data, and will include the construction of scenarios for analysis and a SWOT matrix identifying key constraints and opportunities. Alongside the document(s) that will constitute the PMUS, a digital tool will be developed for city technicians to upload the most current mobility data for analysis and to monitor the plan's implementation and the evolution of defined goals.

Image of the PMUS of Lisbon (via CML)

Despite promises from the Carlos Moedas Executive regarding the PMUS's development—including announced timelines for completion by December 2022—only the public tender for hiring an external entity to draft the plan was prepared in 2022. The procedure was only approved and launched a year later, in the last quarter of 2023. The contract was ultimately awarded in February 2025 to TIS – Transportes, Inovação e Sistemas, with a payment of 345,000 euros from the Municipality and a 10-month execution deadline, meaning the PMUS should be completed by December of this year.

The PMUS development will be structured in four phases: an initial preparation phase, followed by a phase dedicated to preliminary meetings, data collection, and fieldwork. A diagnosis of the current situation and future trends will then be made, allowing for the definition of scenarios, objectives, and strategies. The final phase will involve formulating proposals, defining indicators, and estimating impacts.

Public Participation... Without Communication

The development of the PMUS is occurring without any transparency. The Lisbon City Council's information portal reported on February 24 the initiation of the PMUS development, mentioning an “active participation phase with sessions involving experts, territorial agents, and citizens.” However, despite claims of public participation, the workshops have not been widely publicized; invitations are directed towards specific associations and entities active in the city.

While there is nothing wrong with invitation-only events aimed at specific audiences, the absence of a clear calendar for public participation raises concerns about how citizens can engage and contribute to the process.

An excellent example of transparency is the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, which is also developing a PMUS. Their plan, the Metropolitan Urban Mobility Plan (PMMUS), was announced alongside a dedicated website where anyone can consult the methodology, involved teams, and the entire action calendar. A newsletter is also available for updates.

The good example of the PMMUS site made by AML/TML (screenshot and GIF by LPP)

This is a great example of transparency. Even with closed-door work, the public can scrutinize what is being done. To understand who is developing the PMUS and the details of this future plan, one must consult the hidden terms of reference associated with the public tender. This document, accessible through a link on the Base portal, outlines that the plan is being developed in collaboration between the Municipal Mobility Directorate and the contracted consultant, TIS, which is responsible for the technical work while the municipality coordinates the project.

According to the terms of reference, public participation is a fundamental component of the PMUS. It stipulates that “the development of the PMUS is subject to the obligation to publicize the start of the procedure and to make available the necessary information for monitoring its development during its various phases.” Public participation must “involve citizens throughout the process.”

Currently, the only truly public participation option is an online survey launched on February 26, which just started being shared on social media last week. The deadline for responses is March 31, just over a week from the date of this article.

The ongoing survey for the PMUS (screenshot by LPP)