Prague City Council introduced its cycling plans for 2024

At the beginning, Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Piráti) described the advantages of cycling transport. He also showed a chart depicting the trend in the number of cyclists in Prague according to data from counters. He added that this data is not fully relevant, as the counters do not always function and are not distributed in many important areas on the outskirts or in the center. He also presented the plan for the major bike routes, which the City Council already approved in 2022.

Next, investments in both cycling and pedestrian traffic in the past years were presented. This year, Prague plans to invest 137 million crowns into paths.

Subsequently, Josef Richtr, Vice Chairman of the Board of TSK Prague, presented a list of projects that will be implemented this year:

1. A path on bike route A1 along Strakonická, between Nádražní and U Královské louky streets in Smíchov. This will involve the reconstruction of a sidewalk and the marking of a path for pedestrians and cyclists along its route. The section will be 1500 meters long, with construction set to begin in a matter of days.
2. A path on the future route A42 Labuť–Kačerov in Prague 4 along Vídeňská and Michelská streets. This will involve the reconstruction of a sidewalk, and it will operate under the regime of a sidewalk with allowed cycling. The length of the section is 900 meters, and it will accommodate bike route A42, and in the future, major routes A7 or A5. The project is under construction, and expected to be completed by the end of May.
3. Modernization of the A2 path on Podolské nábřeží in the section from Veslařský ostrov to the MOL gas station, covering 930 meters. This will involve surface renewal and a slight expansion in the spirit of the section completed last year. Construction is set to begin after the reconstruction of the Barrandov Bridge is finished, around September or October.
4. Expansion of the path on bike route A1 in Radotín, Prague 16. The contractor is currently being selected, with implementation during the summer or autumn.
5. Path A114 K Cementárně – Na Drážkách in Prague 16. The contractor is currently being selected, with implementation during the summer or autumn.

In his conclusion he added that TSK could implement more projects if the city had allocated more funds. Many projects, he noted, already have building permits. Deputy Mayor Hřib emphasized that the Vršovická railway promenade has not been removed from the planning stage, but its preparation has been delayed until around 2027 due to more complex negotiations with the Railway Administration (SŽ).

The Chair of Prague’s Cycling Commission, Bára Soukupová (Piráti), added that cycling transport will also benefit from projects such as the reconstruction of bridges or the construction of the Smíchov Terminal. The cycling connections of this terminal will be tendered this year using the „design & build“ method, with implementation possibly taking place in 2025. New Danish-style bike lanes are planned for both the Libeň and Dvorecký bridges.

Bára Soukupová also added that the development of cycling transport in Prague is significantly supported by bike sharing. The city gives every holder of a Lítačka coupon two free 15-minute bike rides per day. There was also a map showing the most common routes for shared bikes in Prague. Zdeněk Hřib stated that there is an effort to make bike sharing work more extensively beyond the broader center.

The entire press conference is available for viewing here.