From left to right: Valter Nagelstein, Porto Alegre Municipal Secretary of Production, Industry and Commerce;
Luis Antonio Lindau, CTS-Brasil Director/President; and
José Fortunati, Porto Alegre Mayor.

Porto Alegre’s city government unveiled a new bike parking facility in front of the city’s Central Market. The “Estação Bicicletas - Mercado Público” (Central Market Bike Parking) project created parking spaces for 32 bikes. It was designed by the Center for Sustainable Transport in Brazil (CTS-Brasil) in the shape of the vessel used to drink chimarrão, a traditional southern South American drink.

The project was realized in conjunction with the Municipal Secretariat for Production, Industry and Commerce (SMIC) and Rossi, a private construction company.

It is the fourth bike parking project in Porto Alegre supported by CTS-Brasil. The project is located in one of the most important touristic and commercial locations in the city, in front of the city's Central Market. It is a highly visible location and will allow visitors and workers to bike to and from downtown Porto Alegre, encouraging increased bike usage. The project symbolizes the city's commitment to sustainable transportation in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The urgent need for improved bike infrastructure was highlighted earlier this year by the tragedy involving Critical Mass riders, which we wrote about on our blog, TheCityFix.com. The city has stated its support for cycling and pledged to continue to build safe bike infrastructure, including bike parking and dedicated cycle lanes, as part of the city´s Master Bike Plan.

In his remarks at the project's launch, Mayor Jose Fortunati reaffirmed his intention to pursue a bus rapid transit (BRT) project as a priority for Porto Alegre´s preparations for the World Cup.

This project was made possible through the support of several partners, including:

• José Fortunati, Porto Alegre Mayor
• Valter Nagelstein, Porto Alegre Municipal Secretary of Production, Industry and Commerce
• Luis Antonio Lindau, CTS-Brasil Director/President
• Rejane Fernandes, CTS-Brasil Strategic Relations & Development Director
• Giancarlo Bonotto, CTS-Brasil Environmental Engineering Intern