The Municipality of Coimbra will install an automatic license plate reading system at the accesses to Avenida Sesnando Davides and Rua da Sofia, which will have restricted traffic from September 10, coinciding with the entry into operation of the Metrobus. In a first phase, the control will be ensured by security forces to identify specific needs and clarify doubts of drivers. Access will be reserved for public transport and authorized vehicles, namely residents and traders.
The procedures to install the automatic control equipment have already been initiated, in a process awarded by the previous executive. Control points are planned on Rua Pedro Olaio for authorized vehicles entering Avenida Sesnando Davides and Rua da Sofia, and another on Rua Doutor Dias Ferreira to control access through Ladeira do Carmo. The identification will be carried out preferably through automatic license plate reading, with an alternative mechanism.
The project represents an investment of around 463 thousand euros and includes ten entry and exit control points in Baixa and Baixinha streets. The system already installed on Rua Ferreira Borges and other arteries such as Rua da Louça, Rua Adelino Veiga and Rua da Sota should become operational during September. The municipality explained that the entry into operation was delayed after contacts with traders, who requested that the measure be implemented only after the summer.
The changes related to the Metrobus will also modify the circulation on Rua de Saragoça, where part of the road will become one-way traffic, with an increase in traffic expected on this artery and on adjacent streets such as Rua Guerra Junqueiro and Rua António Vasconcelos. The municipality plans to carry out specific interventions in the organization of parking and the traffic lane, monitoring the flows to assess the need for other measures.
