For Luísa Sousa and Diego Cavalcanti, the history of cycling in Lisbon is far richer than conventional wisdom suggests—and brimming with myths to debunk. "Lisbon had no cycling-friendly past," the saying went, even among academics. Their co-authored book, Cycling Cities: The Lisbon Experience, proves otherwise. Not only do over 70% of the city's streets have gradients below 5%, but in 1901, the first proposal for a dedicated bike lane—along Avenida da Liberdade—was put forward. "And we still don't have it," notes Sousa.

Historical records of velocipede licenses paint a surprising portrait of early cyclists: locksmiths, civil servants, soldiers, domestic workers, students. It wasn't until the mid-1960s that car registrations finally surpassed those of bicycles. "By the 1970s, Portugal's National Statistics Institute stopped publishing these figures altogether, under the assumption that cycling was destined for obsolescence," explains Sousa. In 1950, bicycles accounted for 40% of all vehicles on the country's roads.

The tension between cars and bicycles is nothing new, but decades of car-centric urban planning have only deepened the divide. "How can we change urban policy and infrastructure if we don't also transform the ideas and concepts that shape our cities?" asks Cavalcanti.

Today's Lisbon presents a mixed picture. The cycling network has grown, but unevenly, and recent setbacks raise concerns. "We've ended up with a patchwork system in many areas—some bike lanes, like the one on Avenida de Berna, have even been dismantled," criticizes Sousa, calling for clearer political vision. "Do we have the courage to do what Amsterdam did in the 1970s?"

On the horizon, bike-sharing schemes and intermodality emerge as potential catalysts for change. "As we expand alternatives, we don't need to rely solely on bicycles. Car dependency was constructed—we can just as easily design a future where cycling thrives," concludes Cavalcanti.