This year, the city plans to significantly cut the budget for pedestrian and bicycle transportation. And the cuts will not only occur this year: the updated Sustainable Mobility Plan anticipates the limitation of many projects until 2026. Although the plan is currently heading into the commentary process, it is already certain that savings will be made. Among other things, the postponement of the implementation of the Vršovice Rail Promenade, the Vltava Promenade, and the improvement of the A2 bike route through the city center are proposed.
This year, compared to previous years, the city leadership decided to cut funding for sustainable transportation. Deputy Mayor for Finance Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS) is behind the budget savings. Not only bicycle transportation projects were cut but also public transportation, pedestrian, and road projects.
The proposed changes contradict earlier statements by the Deputy Mayor for Transportation Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), who last year in an interview for Městem na kole stated that he would maintain or even increase investments in bicycle transportation.
According to the proposal for an update of the sustainable mobility plan, more than 11 pedestrian and bicycle transportation projects are postponed until at least 2026. Among them is the Vršovice Rail Promenade. This was supposed to connect Zahradní Město and Vršovice through a four-kilometer long segregated path for pedestrians and cyclists.
Originally planned to start in 2023 and be completed by 2024, the promenade on the site of a railway line closed in 2020 received a zoning decision last year, and in January the Technical Administration of Roads (TSK) began the selection of a construction supplier. However, the city leadership has now „put the project to sleep.“ Preparations will likely continue, but at a slow pace and with less funding.
Additionally, Prague proposes to postpone the project to improve transit over the right bank A2 bike route in the city center, namely on Smetana Embankment between Mánes and the Rudolfinum. Neither will there be preparations or realization of bike route A4, which follows the route of today’s North-South Expressway [the Magistral – red.]. The city council will also not fund the bike route A9 between Krejcárek and Vysočany, for which Deputy Mayor for Transportation Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) earlier announced a new bridge. On the same bike route, the preparation of the Northeastern cycle highway along the railway line at Klíčov hill is being halted.
Among less significant, but still prioritized, bike routes, the realization of bike route A3 between Hostivař, Dolní Měcholupy, and Uhříněves is postponed. No preparations will be made for the safe link between Háje and Uhříněves (A4) or the connection of Dejvice to the future rail promenade in Prague 6.
Even in the reduced action plan for transportation, many projects are still around. From 2024 to 2026 the city plans to improve the left-bank bike route A1 in the center. There will be a connection between Radlická and Nádražní streets through the developing district of Nový Smíchov (A3). On the other bank, Prague intends to implement bike route A3 between the Vltava and the Vršovice Rail Promenade, whose construction is now being postponed. Improvements will likely include the repair of the path in Folimanka Park and the vicinity of Vnislavova Street.
In the center, there is also a plan for connecting the main train station and the Žižkov Rail Promenade (A5), which might simply involve modifying the sidewalk and signage along Seifertova Street. The city also plans to complete the connection that is already under-construction between Holešovice and Bubeneč on bike route A6.
Outside the center, the Eastern cycle highway, or bike route A8, is to be implemented. Prague already started the implementation with an until now unconnected cycle path along Českobrodská in Malešice. Improvements will also occur on the A2 bike route in Braník. Here, the path near the Braník icehouses will be straightened and relocated closer to the Vltava. Last year, Deputy Mayor for Transportation Hřib spoke about starting this action in 2023, but now it does not look like it will even begin in 2024.
In the years 2024–2026, other projects include building paths on bike routes A3 in Kolovraty and A5 in Dolní Počernice. Bike route A6 will connect the borders of Prague and Veleslavín, a new bike route A7 will be built along K Pazderkám Street, A8 will connect Vinice and Běchovice, and A9 Hutě and Borská Street. The city council also mentions a bike underpass of the railway line in Horní Počernice, which is already completed.
The city stated that it would also continue to develop cycling transportation in terms of making metro stations accessible to cyclists, adding bike racks, and supporting bike sharing. It also wants to continue coordinating the construction of pedestrian and cycling connections with the Central Bohemian Region.
On social network X, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transportation Zdeněk Hřib reacted to the article as follows:
„For example, the funding for bicycle transportation within TSK is kept at a similar level as last year. The Vršovice Rail Promenade is not blocked by a lack of funds. The problem is land-related and on the side of the Railway Administration. Upon closer calculations, they found that the rail promenade’s area might partially intersect with a high-speed rail track. Therefore, at this time, they do not want to provide the necessary land to Prague. However, we are negotiating a solution to implement the rail promenade project despite the planned high-speed track.“
Regarding the Vršovice Rail Promenade, he added: „At the moment, when we know that due to the land issue we cannot implement the project, we are not allocating funds for it. But the reason is land-related.“
This is an adjusted machine translation using Automat’s CycleLingo Translator (ChatGPT) of this article: https://mestemnakole.cz/2024/04/praha-navrhuje-odlozit-stavbu-vrsovicke-drazni-promenady-skrta-i-dalsi-akce/
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