New Porto stations look like they were "made by Obélix"

They were designed by award-winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.

The mayor of Porto this week criticized the stations designed by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira that are being built for the metrobus in Marechal Gomes da Costa Avenue, arguing that they look like "they were made by Obélix".

“There are things that I really don’t like. If you ask me if I understand either Avenida da Boavista or Marechal Gomes da Costa the stations being built there, I don't like it. It's my opinion, I don't understand why they are done like this", said the mayor, Rui Moreira, during the Porto Municipal Assembly, which took place on Monday night.

"I look at those boulders, the ones that bother me the most even have an author's signature, which are in Marechal Gomes da Costa, which, in my opinion, should be back to back and light, glassy things and don't need to be things that look like have been made by Obélix", he stated, comparing the situation to the national football team.

"It's the issue of sacred cows," he said.

Despite the criticism, the independent mayor welcomed some of the options made in the metrobus project, such as the width of the sidewalks and, consequently, the removal of surface parking, the placement of trees on the sidewalks and the removal of the Monument to the Entrepreneur there. create “a forest with trees”.

Rui Moreira also considered it "good news" that the project maintains the cycle path between the intersection of Marechal Gomes da Costa and Castelo do Queijo.

"Avenida da Boavista does not have the same gauge. At the bottom we will be able to maintain the cycle path, even reducing the lanes", he stated, lamenting the fact that Avenida da Boavista "does not have enough space for everything".

The independent mayor also highlighted that the importance of that artery and its access to the Via de Cintura Interna (VCI), would not allow reducing the carriageway to just one lane.

“We are not at that stage yet. If the metrobus meets traffic expectations, perhaps we can have a metro with greater capacity”, noted Rui Moreira.

The metrobus will connect Casa da Música to Praça do Império (in 12 minutes) and Anémona (in 17) this year.

The works of the first phase started at the end of January 2023, with the Casa da Música, Guerra Junqueiro, Bessa, Pinheiro Manso, Serralves, João de Barros and Império stations planned, in the first service, and in the section up to Matosinhos Antunes will be added Guimarães, Garcia de Orta, Nevogilde, Castelo do Queijo and Praça Cidade do Salvador (Anémona).

Initially, the 'metrobus' project was only planned up to Praça do Império, but as the value of the award (25 million euros) was below 66 million euros, the Government decided to extend the service to Praça Cidade do Salvador, known as Anémona, in Matosinhos.