A new version of the „Cyklisté sobě“ database on the „Městem na kole“ map

Efforts to address problematic areas for cycling in Prague are one of the key activities of AutoMat, which the association has been dedicated to since its inception. AutoMat has been submitting proposals for cycling lanes and other improvements to the municipality and city districts since 2007. Initially, there were not that many suggestions, but over time, with the mapping of problematic areas on the „Prague by Bike“ map and a growing response from the cycling community, the number of suggestions increased. In 2013, this led to decentralization, and the Cyklisté Sobě (Cyclists Together) website was created.

Ten years with the original system

The current system, using the existence of active groups managing suggestions for improvement independently, has been running for ten years. After a successful start until about 2015, it gradually no longer met the needs of the association. The originally intended decentralization of suggestion resolution gradually disappeared as the number of volunteers for this demanding work decreased. The addition of features that would streamline the resolution of suggestions was hindered by the difference in programming languages used compared to other AutoMat websites and services. The system has long lacked tools for effectively tracking the development of suggestions and gradually became too cumbersome. With the expansion of shared documents and new online options, people working on proposals and feedback began using other tools.

Internally, the AutoMat Sustainable Urbanism Laboratory (LAB) began tracking approximately 200 selected suggestions outside the Cyklisté Sobě system in 2017. This year, this table is being transferred to the geodatabase, which is essentially an information system containing spatial data, making it easily visible on the map. It is a new way for people to track the handling of suggestions and the resolution of problematic areas both in a special application and directly on the Městem na kole map.

It must be said that submitting a suggestion to the Cyklisté Sobě website did not automatically mean that it would be addressed. Especially in recent years, the collection of suggestions for problematic areas has been handled primarily in a different way, for example, through questionnaires focused on bike lanes. The resolution of suggestions submitted to the Cyklisté Sobě website was thus very sporadic.

Greater clarity and transparency

With the new system, the AutoMat Sustainable Urbanism Laboratory (LAB) expects better public response demanding the resolution of problematic areas and greater transparency. With the new map, anyone can now see when AutoMat last dealt with a suggestion, how long the suggestion has been under consideration, and how authorities have responded to it. Whether a suggestion is being addressed or is „sleeping“ can now be easily identified by the color on the map. The map also shows what type of suggestion it is.

You can also search the database by keywords, type of suggestion, city district, and other filters. Additionally, you can view Prague’s cycling network, topography, and city district boundaries – information crucial, for example, to pinpoint where to direct your suggestion for improvement.

Suggestions can also be viewed on the Městem na kole map, where a new layer has been added for this purpose.

How to report issues now

For reporting problematic areas for cycling, a new simplified form has been created. After submission, the Sustainable Urbanism Laboratory team will review the submission. Depending on what the suggestion requires, the writer will either receive a direct response or the problem will be added to the database and addressed in the long term.

The database primarily records the following issues and suggestions:

• Dangerous areas for cycling and places where a cyclist feels significantly endangered.
• Disjointed, poorly marked, or interrupted cycle paths.
• Missing legal crossings, lacking cycling signals.
• Proposals for adjusting traffic lights, racks, etc.

Even the new system is not designed for the LAB to address the suggestion immediately or automatically pass it on to the relevant authority. Very pragmatically, suggestions received through the form will be reviewed approximately once a month.

How to resolve issues immediately?

If you want the issue to be addressed immediately and directly by the local government, state administration, or the Technical Road Administration, it is advisable to use the following services:

– ZMĚŇTE.TO: Universal form for resolving issues in Prague
– ZÁVADY.TSK-PRAHA.cz: Reporting defects and malfunctions on roads managed by TSK Prague
– CHODCI SOBĚ.cz: Application of the Pedestrians Together association tracking issues for pedestrians

If you need advice on where to send your suggestion, feel free to contact LAB directly; the contact person is Vratislav Filler (vratislav.filler@auto-mat.cz). Also, send an email if your suggestion or problem cannot tolerate delay, for example, if a proposal of a general nature has been published that requires a response within thirty days.

Discussion about problematic areas has essentially shifted to Facebook in recent years, where we manage the „Cyklisté Sobě“ group with hundreds of members. This group has several moderators, and AutoMat members are consistently active in it. Using this channel is the best way to initiate a debate about a problematic area where you are unsure how to handle it.

What's next?

Currently, submissions and issues identified in Prague districts 1–4 and several others are present in the new system. By the end of the year, we will internally add monitored submissions from the rest of Prague and further issues identified in surveys conducted this year. Subsequently, we will also add problems we identify elsewhere or address without specifically marking them.

We will systematically process submissions with the new form from January 2024.

The original Cyklisté Sobě system will remain operational at least for 2024, but we will no longer actively monitor submissions to it. However, we will definitely review the submissions on these pages and select additional submissions to add to the new database. We anticipate that the number of monitored submissions in the Prague area will continue to be in the range of several hundred.

The integration of the new database into the Městem na kole map is expected to undergo further changes in the coming years along with the redesign of the entire map. However, that is a slightly different story…