The brief inauguration ceremony took place in Penha de França, where the Gira had not previously been operational, but which now has two new stations with 30 docks. A third station will open in this parish in September.

“We are very happy because it was a parish that was, in a way, abandoned. And we want to have Gira in all parish councils. In fact, we have already managed to double the number in Lisbon. When we arrived there were more or less a thousand bicycles”, highlighted the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.

“Our commitment is to reach all parish councils by the end of the term”, he added.

Penha de França is the 21st parish to have Gira, with stations practically ready in Marvila and Santa Clara, areas currently also outside the network, said Carlos Silva, president of EMEL, the public company responsible for mobility and parking in Lisbon, and which manages the Gira network.

In addition to Penha de França, three stations opened today in Belém, with 44 docks, joining the three stations already existing there.

It also opened one in São Domingos de Benfica (with 22 docks), which joins the five already existing, and another in Carnide (with space for 31 bicycles), a parish where there were already five other stations.

Carlos Moedas highlighted that the Lisbon Mobility Plan aims for “smooth mobility, carried out progressively and not in friction” of bicycles with other vehicles and plans to increase the number of cycle paths in Lisbon by “a further 90 kilometres”, of which “ Many of them will be segregated kilometers, that is, with segregated or divided cycle lanes and not mixed with other traffic”.