It’s been a year since the municipal elections, and we are asking the Prague councilors for transportation from Prague 1 to Prague 22 about their plans for cycling. We continue with the municipal district of Prague 19, which has 7,000 residents and includes Kbely. Responding to our written inquiries is deputy mayor Vladimír Olmr from the association Kbely náš domov.
Kbely is considered one of the most progressive areas for cycling transport in the capital. How did you achieve this?
We prepared the first conceptual document back in 2005. We developed a simple network of cycling routes according to the locals‘ wishes and implemented it. It mainly involved directional signage. Then we worked on further improvements and gradually built independent paths. The most important was the path along Mladoboleslavská Street, which connected the entire network to Prague. We strive to have a connection away from the roads with each surrounding municipal district. It’s not that difficult because these are essentially existing paths that were once cleared by the cooperatives.*
*A historical explanation of the cooperatives, fields and paths for non-Czechs
This last sentence in the paragraph above needs to be explained for non-Czechs. You need to know the context in the communist era to understand why the deputy mayor writes that it is easy to establish these cycling connections away from the roads.
Kbely is on the outskirts of Prague and contains quite some farmland. During the communist era all agricultural establishments were state-owned and organized as so called „cooperatives“. When private farms were nationalized after the communist revolution in 1948 they were combined together in these big, newly established state cooperatives, and all their small private plots were brought together in much bigger fields. This was achieved by ploughing the old borders (and thus the paths) between the fields.
However, the cadastral maps were usually not updated to reflect the new situation. After 1989 and the return of private property, the fields were privatized in accordance with the situation before 1948, which meant that only the paths as present on the cadastral maps stayed with the municipality. Therefore, although today some of these paths might still be part of a field, the municipality can re-establish its right to create a path there if and when it so wishes.
Do you plan to build new cycle paths in your district in the coming years?
Our main project is the Via Sancta path (A267) for pedestrians and cyclists, connecting the center of Kbely, the new development, and the Letňany metro on one side, and going through Vinoř to Stará Boleslav on the other side. Then there’s also the A44 path along the railway from Čakovice to Černý Most.
What is your approach to implementing bicycle contraflow streets, which Kbely has almost universally?
We try to establish bicycle contraflow streets wherever it is safe. This applies to almost all side streets. Alongside this, we are also removing unnecessary traffic signs. When we know that the number of passing cars will not increase, we allow two-way traffic for cars. It’s important to talk to the residents of the affected street during this process.
Is there a plan to add bike stands in the streets?
We have stands at almost all important locations thanks to cooperation with the TSK. If someone requests to add a rack, we place it there. We also want bike sheds, but the city is handling that, so we are waiting for the first shed at the school.
How does bike-sharing work in Kbely?
We already have bike-sharing. The low number of bikes in the streets hinders network density. Additionally, people have everything quite close by in Kbely, so they often walk. Even on pedestrian and cycling paths, you’ll find more pedestrians than cyclists.
How else do you plan to improve cycling conditions in your municipal district?
In Kbely, we don’t focus much on cycling; everyone rides as they find convenient.
Which construction or change in the current term will have the most positive impact on pedestrian and cycling traffic in your municipal district?
Certainly, the Via Sancta project, where we are also restoring historical chapels. But everything depends on funding. We have been discussing and building this route for many years, so we hope that the city will allocate funds for its completion. From an environmental perspective, the Landscape Park Havraňák and the entire new road network that will connect the northern part of Kbely with the school and sports hall.
Which foreign city serves as inspiration for you in terms of transportation?
During foreign trips, we notice various transportation innovations and share them among ourselves as inspiration.
Do you ever ride a bike around the city?
Primarily for recreation. I prefer to take the train when traveling to Prague.
Do you follow our magazine?
I receive updates from time to time that also relate to Kbely.
Thank you for the interview.
This is an adjusted ChatGPT translation of this article: https://mestemnakole.cz/2023/11/co-chystaji-mestske-casti-praha-19/
Líbil se Vám článek? Podpořte náš další obsah!
Stačí 100 Kč a minuta Vašeho času.
Vyberte prosím částku, poté budete přesmerováni na darujme.cz
