Closure of the cyclepath near Napajedla continues to cause complications

Construction of the bridge, which will be part of the D55 highway, began last year. ŘSD plans to open it next year. „Although the closed section is marked and access to the construction site is separated by a fence, cyclists do not respect these restrictions. The fence has already been moved or completely knocked down several times. Unfortunately, by entering the construction site, they risk serious injury or death,“ said Jiří Perďoch, the safety and health coordinator at the bridge construction site.

According to him, the work is now gaining intensity. „The cyclepath itself will be removed in this section in the coming days. Heavy machinery and crane drivers can easily overlook a cyclist, and then it’s just a step away from a tragic event. Construction work is in full swing on both sides of the Morava River,“ Perďoch added. The mayor of Napajedla, Robert Podlas, then told iDnes.cz that he hopes the removal of the cyclepath will solve the problem of non-compliance with the no-entry sign: „Word will spread quickly, and no one will try to pass through this place anymore.“

At the same time, the detour route is perceived as dangerous. Somewhat paradoxically, Napajedla itself recommends on its information center’s website an „unofficial alternative“ detour route, which is led along the sidewalk (without legalizing cycling) next to a busy primary road.

A problematic detour

Road officials are urging cyclists to respect the temporary restriction. “We realize that by closing the busy cyclepath that connects Napajedla and Otrokovice, we have caused temporary discomfort for cyclists and local residents. We ask them to use the officially marked detour route, which leads from Dr. Beneš Street in Napajedla through the roundabout and then along Road I/55 to Kvítkovice. From there, it goes past the Kaufland shopping center, where it connects to the official cyclepath. Alternatively, they can use another route of their own,” said Karel Chudárek, director of the ŘSD office in Zlín.

The detour route itself is widely criticized as an inadequate and dangerous replacement for such a busy protected cyclepath. The detour route is led along a busy primary road.

As reported by Hana Večerková, mayor of Otrokovice (ANO), finding a detour route was challenging because the construction affects both banks of the Morava River. Among the considered options were building a tunnel, a ferry, or a pontoon, as well as transferring the path to the other bank. „Given the scale of the work, this is not possible, and the detour will be led through the town with partial use of the main road. From our perspective, the solution is not ideal, but it is the only possible one,“ Večerková stated during the planning of the closure.

Regarding the planning of the closure of this cyclepath, which sees up to a thousand people daily during the season, Mayor Večerková further stated in November 2023: „The idea of such a large number of cyclists moving in regular traffic raises concerns for their safety. It is a state construction project with high priority, so we turned to the Ministry of Transport and appealed directly to the minister to allow the use of the highway without tolls during the closure period.“ According to her, the option to use the highway from Otrokovice to Napajedla without tolls would reduce the intensity of traffic on the main road while it is being used as a detour route by cyclists.

According to information with Městem na kole, the toll removal for the relevant highway section ultimately did not happen.

The inappropriateness of the detour route has been long criticized by the Cyklo Zlín association. They stated that the detour route should definitely not be used by families with children, as it can be dangerous for them.

Somewhat paradoxically, according to information from iDnes.cz, the no-entry sign is most often violated on weekends when construction is reduced. According to iDnes.cz, there was even consideration of possibly opening the cyclepath on weekends, but this was ultimately deemed an unsuitable solution: “Everyone agreed that it would cause confusion. People wouldn’t know when they could ride there and when they couldn’t. It’s better to close it completely,” said the spokesperson for the Zlín branch of ŘSD to iDnes.cz.