Pelhřimov has opened its longest cycle path, along the Bělá River

The ceremonial opening of the cycle path in April also included the blessing of a wayside shrine that stands near it. The shrine is not a new construction. It originally stood on the premises of a private company, which was not interested in the small religious building, so it was donated to the city. The construction company managed to relocate the shrine to the path to make it publicly accessible.

According to Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Jaroš (TOP 09), Pelhřimov has been dedicated to developing cycle paths and bike routes for a long time. Besides the section to Rynárec, last year a recreational path around Stráž Pond was opened. Together with the entire redevelopment of the recreational area by the pond, it cost the city nearly 37 million Czech crowns, also partially funded by subsidies. Last year, the city also opened a bike route to Skrýšov. „And there will be another section towards Lhotka, actually from the Vokovská road towards the industrial zone. We would like to connect those, it’s about 500 meters,“ Jaroš added.

Missing connections across the city and contra-flow bike lanes

David Švec, a molecular biologist, cycling transportation advocate, and independent candidate for TOP 09 in Pelhřimov, praised the improvements on iDnes.cz: „Departing from the original total ignorance of micromobility, we have made significant progress. Both the sports and recreation circuit at Stráž and the connections in the vicinity of Pelhřimov are commendable. The route to Rynárec, I think, is most important both for trips as well as for commuting to work or school, as it’s away from car traffic,“ Švec commends.

However, Švec still sees room for improvement. For example, he notes a lack of better connections for cyclists across the city. „There are also still too many unnecessary formal prohibitions on entry – for example, even for scooters near schools. There are also many one-way streets that could be two-way for cyclists. The city has had a new concept for the development of micromobility since last year, so hopefully, it will adhere to it,“ believes Švec.

A few days ago, city hall announced the introduction of one-way streets in Solní and Tylova streets, which form a circuit around the historic core. These will remain accessible in both directions for people on bikes.