Porto, Sept. 15, 2026 (Lusa) - The ban on heavy goods vehicles not bound for Porto or Vila Nova de Gaia on the Porto inner ring road between 7am and 9pm on weekdays comes into force on Tuesday.
This measure, which aims to ease traffic on the Via de Cintura Interna (VCI) ring road, applies to goods vehicles with a gross weight exceeding 3,500 kilograms, three or more axles and a height of 1.1 metres or more, measured vertically from the first axle.
According to information provided by Porto city council, there are exceptions to this ban: affected vehicles whose point of origin or destination is the municipalities of Porto or Vila Nova de Gaia, for loading or unloading operations in those municipalities, may travel on the VCI, «provided they have been authorised in advance via the digital platform made available by the respective municipalities».
In the event of difficulties with the platform (vci.porto.pt), the city of Porto asks that you contact the Porto Helpline (220 100 220) or use the email address provided for reporting faults and issues with the platform suporte.acessovci@portodigital.pt.
Vertical signage indicating this ban has been installed at the VCI entry points, and enforcement will be carried out by the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) «in coordination with the municipalities and other responsible bodies».
As an alternative to the ban on heavy goods vehicles on the VCI, the CREP (Porto Outer Ring Road)/A41 has been toll-free since the start of the year.
Speaking to Lusa, the Mayor of Porto, Pedro Duarte, acknowledged that «it will not solve the traffic problem on the VCI», but that it could «be a turning point» and help whilst new measures are being implemented.
The mayor, who is also president of the Porto Metropolitan Area, also revealed that, at the end of last week, he had sent a letter to the internal affairs minister requesting enforcement and a police presence on the ground.
In the document sent, to which Lusa had access, Pedro Duarte requested «that the authorities ensure adequate and effective enforcement of compliance with this new regime, with particular emphasis on the first few days and weeks of its implementation, through a visible presence on the ground and appropriate action in the event of any detected breaches», and pointed out that the police have a «digital platform that will enable them to distinguish between vehicles covered by the exemptions provided for in the scheme and those travelling in breach of the ban».
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Lusa
