According to Michal Kalina, the Prague Technical Communications Administration has already started designing improvements to Sokolská and Legerova Streets, i.e. the thoroughfare between the National Museum and the Nuselská Bridge, on the initiative of AutoMat. It is about adding crossings, removing underpasses, planting greenery and creating a protected area for cyclists.
The petition and also the call are addressed to the Prague leadership. “We wanted to let it be known that there are people who care about a quality and proper solution, not that everything ends up with only cosmetic modifications,” said Kalina.
The petition was signed on the spot by Prague 1 councilor Vojtěch Ryvola (deceased) or the chairperson of the municipal cycling committee Bára Soukup (Pirates). “I’m always happy to sign what means traffic calming,” said Ryvola.
Soukup does not expect implementation within two or three years. “But we will have a project for the next election period. Hopefully they will work on it and in five or six years it will look completely different there,” said Soukup.
Photo: Petr Janiš, Law
The petition was also signed by Prague 1 councilor for transport Vojtěch Ryvola (right).
According to AutoMat traffic expert Vratislav Filler, the space for cars, which sometimes has up to four lanes in Legerova Street, should undergo changes. Their number should drop to three before intersections. “We would like a protected solution for cyclists. Either behind the curb or behind the parking lot, definitely separated from cars and pedestrians,” said Filler.
The city management, especially the mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), states that before the modifications in the center of Prague, it is necessary to complete the construction of roundabouts. Such an argument has little validity, according to AutoMat, which follows from the traffic data. Most of it moves in the wider center, between Prague 4 and 7. “There are under 10,000 cars on the highway that transit, pass through the city. With the reduction in capacity, it partially dissolves, partially disappears, partially moves on,” said Filler.
Photo: Petr Janiš, Law
Minister of Transport Martin Kupka also arrived by bicycle on Tuesday.
According to spokesman František Jemelka, Minister Kupko is also interested in modifications for cyclists. On Tuesday, he left Líbeznice on his bike to work after 7:00 a.m. After traveling along the Vltava, he was at the ministry in an hour. About 30 officials commute to work by bicycle. According to Jemelka, cycling is an important part of the transport mix. “How else to get to know the needs of bicycle transport better than when we personally see on a bicycle in reality what needs to be improved, what would be worth adjusting,” added Jemelka.
About 25,000 people signed up for the Do práce na na cycle challenge this year, according to Anna Kociánová from AutoMat, you can still apply. “The biggest barrier that emerges from surveys is the fear of traffic. And that is related to infrastructure,” added Kociánová.
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