The South Moravian Region wants more cyclepaths for daily bike commuting

The vision for the region was prepared by a team under the auspices of the consulting firm KPMG. The vision map includes a proposal for transport and tourist cycling corridors, creating a suitable cycling network connecting all municipalities with extended powers [These have some additional areas of jurisdiction compared to other municipal authorities, not only for their own, basic administrative district, but usually also for other municipalities in the vicinity – red.], with a total length of 1,700 kilometers. The region intends to prioritize their support during construction.

The region commissioned the vision in view of the expiration of the old document and the need to emphasize safe, emission-free transport and new trends. “The concept will show us which cyclepaths municipalities have built and in which direction we should further support the infrastructure through our grant program,” said Deputy Governor Jan Zámečník (KDU-ČSL) to ČTK. According to him, more than tourist paths, it is now desirable to support the construction of routes for everyday use.

„Priority is safe transportation to schools, workplaces, and services. The increasing willingness of people to commute longer distances by bike is a reality, and we are also responding to the massive expansion of e-bikes. We also want to support the construction of various connectors between municipalities so that, for example, mothers with children have places to ride balance bikes, bicycles, or rollerblades. Often, these are sections that can be created for relatively little money. Furthermore, we want to negotiate with the State Land Office to use paths for agricultural machinery for cycling as well. Everything will depend on the activities of the regional and local cycling coordinators, who will be responsible for the individual municipalities with extended powers,“ stated Zámečník.

The region plans to finance specific projects and especially construction resulting from the new vision using regional, state, and European funds. The annual costs are estimated at 50 million CZK, but most of the funds for network development will continue to come from state and European sources. „If we built approximately 25 kilometers of cyclepaths each year, the region would gain about 150 kilometers of safe sections in six years,“ added Zámečník. Municipalities and associations also participated in the creation of the document, the region held extensive discussions on the proposal for cycling corridors with them.