A working group named “Safe Mobility,” established in January 2026 by the Bragança Municipal Council, recently convened to analyze road accidents in the municipality and identify areas for joint in-depth study. The initiative involves representatives from the Municipality, the National Republican Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP), the Volunteer Firefighters of Bragança and Izeda, the Union of Freguesias of Sé, Santa Maria and Meixedo, the Polytechnic University of Bragança (UPB), and the School Clusters.
The current focus of the work is diagnosis, combining information from security forces, territorial knowledge from entities, and infrastructure analysis. The aim is to establish priorities and plan future interventions, both in prevention and enforcement, as well as in improving roads and mobility organization.
The Bragança Territorial Command of the GNR presented the “Annual Road Accident Report,” which details statistics, georeferences accidents, and analyzes risk factors. In 2025, the municipality of Bragança recorded 113 accidents, 11 fewer than the previous year, with 38 accidents involving victims (a 25.4% decrease). There were two fatalities, 11 serious injuries, and 32 minor injuries.
Across the Bragança district, the GNR recorded 1,113 road accidents in 2025, an increase of 11.7% compared to 2024. There were 286 accidents with victims, resulting in 16 fatalities, 51 serious injuries, and 323 minor injuries.
Based on this data, the “Safe Mobility” group seeks to understand the circumstances of accidents and cross-reference them with road network characteristics. The GNR's analysis included georeferencing accident data within the municipality, identifying critical points requiring in-depth study.
This methodology aligns with Bragança's Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), which aims to reduce road accidents over the next decade through 40 measures. These include expanding 30 km/h Zones, traffic calming measures, redesigning public spaces, and implementing solutions for school mobility, such as “Kiss & Ride” zones.
The PMUS also includes measures for vulnerable users, such as a Universal Accessibility Plan, improvements to cycling and pedestrian networks, and PediBus and BikeBus programs. The creation of a Mobility Observatory and traffic counters is also planned to monitor mobility patterns and support future decisions.
Direct road safety interventions planned for 2026 include raised pedestrian crossings, improved public lighting, and enhanced road signage to protect pedestrians, alongside the rehabilitation of pedestrian routes and ongoing improvements to the road network.
The information now presented by the GNR will serve as a basis for the “Safe Mobility” group to deepen the diagnosis, identify situations requiring intervention, and integrate them into municipal plans, subsequently defining joint action priorities.
