With the new school year, Prague is seeing a boom in school zones. Where have they been established?

The introduction of a school street involves the closure of roads around the school for car traffic, mostly temporarily, some time between 7-9:00 AM during the morning rush hour. This eliminates dangerous maneuvers by drivers in the immediate vicinity of the school, where parking on the sidewalk, in front of crosswalks, and idling with the engine running are common.

A calmer environment around schools and kindergartens encourages parents to allow their children to walk, bike, scoot, or use public transportation to get to school. Even children who are driven by their parents must walk at least part of the way, as they cannot reach the school’s entrance by car. Morning exercise has a positive effect on both children and adults in terms of physical and mental health. Cleaner air around the school can also be expected.

Where are the new school streets which are starting to operate this school year, where is this system already in place, and where is it planned? Take a look at the map and the article below for more information.

New

Prague 7

• FZŠ Umělecká and MŠ U Studánky – trial operation of school streets Gerstnerova, Umělecká, and U Studánky starting from September 2023 (7:00-8:00)
• ZŠ and MŠ Letohradská – trial operation of school streets Letohradská and Fr. Křížka starting from September 2023 (7:00-8:30)
• MŠ Kostelní and ZŠ Františky Plamínkové – trial operation of school street Skalecká starting from September 2023 (7:00-8:00)

Prague 10

•  ZŠ Solidarita – trial operation of school street Brigádníků (section Turnovského-Solidarity) starting from September 2023. The municipal district believes that the park and preschool area will eventually be permanently connected.

Prague 16

• ZŠ Radotín – trial operation of school streets Loučanská, Felberova, and Ježdíkova starting from September 2023.

In other districts, the project has been ongoing for several years. In Prague 20, it started in 2020, in Prague 6 in 2021, and Prague-Klánovice joined the project last year.

Prague 6

• ZŠ Hanspaulka – trial operation of the school street in September 2021 on Čihadle was successful, with 89% of respondents agreeing to continue.
• MŠ Na Dlouhém lánu – trial operation of the school street in March 2021 was successful, with 79% of respondents agreeing to continue.
• ZŠ Norbertov – there has been a ban on entry into the street near the school since 2014, changed to a ban on motor vehicle entry in 2016. Since this year, there has been supervision at the entrance to the street to remind arriving parents of the ban.

Prague 20

• Horní Počernice, ZŠ Stoliňská – The District Council decided to change the school street regime to permanent in 2020 (7:30-8:00).
• Horní Počernice, FZŠ Chodovická – Trial operation took place in the fall of 2020, involving stricter enforcement of the existing entry ban. After the project ended, the city built a bicycle shelter near the school, and the entry ban remains in place.

Prague-Klánovice

• ZŠ Masarykova – Most respondents agreed to continue the school street from May 2022. The municipal district leadership decided to address increased traffic congestion in the surrounding streets.

Dobříš

• School streets are not only being introduced in Prague; they have been successfully implemented in places like Říčany for some time. This spring, the city of Dobříš introduced a school street, and the trial regime increased safety and comfort in the school’s vicinity, leading the city to implement it permanently.

There are many more schools that are working toward creating calmer areas with restricted car access. In Prague alone, examples include ZŠ Lyčkovo náměstí in Karlín, where bollards restrict car entry in front of the school since 2016. In Prague 3, there’s ZŠ and MŠ Chelčického at Barikád Square, where there has been a pedestrian zone and bollards against passage in front of the school for many years. A similar case in Prague 3 is ZŠ Komenského náměstí. In Prague 2, there has been a school street at ZŠ Botičská for many years, with bollards blocking off the street, designated only for supply vehicles.

And where will school streets be added next? The municipal district of Prague 3 plans to introduce a school street at Hollarovo náměstí near VOŠ and SUŠ as part of a new 30km/h zone. On September 11, 2023, ZŠ Pod Žvahovem in Prague 5 will also join the initiative.