Today, in Vila Nova de Famalicão, the first streets conceived for shared use by pedestrians and vehicles were opened to traffic. The streets are Rua José Azevedo Menezes and Rua do Ferrador, located in the heart of the city, which have benefited from interventions in the scope of the urban rehabilitation works currently underway.
The conversion of these streets into shared streets intends above all to contribute to a more attractive, sustainable and accessible urban centre, with greater mobility, more commerce, more environment, more security and more life.
Inserted in a residential area, these shared streets have their own legislation. Thus, and by Article 78-A of the Highway Code, which had its last amendment in Decree-Law No. 151/2017 of 7 December, several rules are described, namely that drivers should not compromise the safety or convenience of other road users, and should stop if necessary; parking is prohibited, except in places where it is authorized by signs and it is also allowed to play games on the public road.
In the regulation of coexistence zones, the fundamental rules of urban design of the public thoroughfare to be applied in said zones must be observed, based on the principles of inclusive design, considering the needs of vulnerable users, including the definition of a single platform, where there are no physical level separations between the spaces destined for the different modes of travel.
The rehabilitation works in Famalicão's urban centre are being carried out under the motto "A New Centre. A New City", representing one of the biggest public investments ever in the requalification of a public space in Famalicão. In total, they imply an investment of over eight million euros. The work is co-funded by North 2020, through the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund programme.