New and renovated cycle paths will connect Prague’s northeast districts to the city center

The Prague City Council supported financing project preparation and partial realization of cycling and pedestrian routes in the northeastern part of Prague. The Prague 14, Prague 18, Prague 19, Prague 20, Prague-Čakovice, Prague-Satalice and Prague-Vinoř districts will see modified field paths and third-class roads. The cycle paths can be integrated into a comprehensive system not only for bikes.

The Prague City Hall
will provide 39 million CZK for the preparation of project
documentation and will try to raise funds from the State Fund for
Transport Infrastructure (SFDI) to finance the majority of the future
construction.

“By supporting active transport, we are fulfilling what we promised Prague citizens in approving the Sustainable Mobility Plan in May this year. At the same time, it is a smart solution to the situation. We will not buy land along the roads, but will restore the historic road network,” Prague Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Praha sobě) said on the City Hall website.

Renovations should also take place on the historic pilgrimage route Via Sancta, including the chapels, in a direct trail along the Valcha and Vinoř brooks, which will connect the core of the new construction with the Letňany metro stop on the C line and the center of Prague 19.

Long-term support
for cycling and pedestrian transport has positive impacts on the
environment in Prague and on the health of local people, according to
City Hall.

“The big advantage
is that the project preparation is in hands of the districts. They
want these bike and pedestrian paths, have local knowledge, are able
to better communicate with the landowners there, and can then arrange
for consultation with the local government authorities concerned. All
parties concerned will be local, which will greatly facilitate the
overall negotiation,” Scheinherr said.

Prague has been making higher investments in cycling compared to previous years. This year the city, through the Technical Roadways Administration (TSK), will invest 121 million CZK in cycling, Last year it was 73.4 million CZK, and in 2017 it was approximately 18 million CZK.

The planned investment projects include the Rokytka waterway under the bridge in Čuprova Street. It will require demanding artificial structures and river channel modifications. As a result, however, it shortens the cyclist’s journey by several hundred meters on the backbone city-wide route and removes several dangerous spots.

In addition to the construction of cycle paths and their regular maintenance, Prague supports cycling with other activities. “We publish, for example, a printed Prague cycling map and provide the free application Na kole Prahou (By Bike in Prague) with navigation for cyclists.

It has been downloaded by more than 10 thousand people in two years of operation. According to statistics, its users traveled a beautiful 1 million kilometers. In general, we are trying to have a detailed overview of the intensity of cycling in Prague, for example we built a pillar in Podolí that counts online cyclists and pedestrians,” Scheinherr said.