On Monday Prague 6 and Automat organized a guided bike ride around this city district that highlighted specific traffic situations and infrastructure and commented on required and best practice behaviour for cyclists. The goal was to improve participants‘ confidence in navigating through traffic and deal with cars and pedestrians.
On Tuesday 17 September part two will be organized, that will highlight more advanced infrastructure and behaviour.
Only a few weeks ago we wrote about Lucie Ryzlerová’s initiative to organize cycling training courses for women to improve their confidence on a bike in the city. It seems Prague 6’s Traffic Councillor Ondřej Matěj Hrubes (ODS; Civic Democratic Party) had the same idea, not just for women, but for all citizens of Prague 6. On Monday the first installment took place, focusing on beginners.
The ride was lead by Vratislav Filler and Zuzana Poláková of Automat [Městem na Kole is an independent project of Automat. -eds.]. Ten participants, both female and male, ages 35-70, with and without driving licenses, were given a Lime e-bike and an earphone to be able to listen to the commentary. Although there were some technical challenges and it rained for part of the ride, participants learned a lot about various aspects of cycling in traffic, both through listing, and through practicing during the ride.
The route started at Metro Petřiny, used the pedestrian/cycling path along Ankarská, the bike lanes on Na Petřinách, the new left turn on Gymnasijní to Velvarská, and the bike crossing on Evropská. We cycled through a pedestrian zone at ČVUT and crossed a big street with trams on Jugosávských partyzánů. The end was at the Kulaťák, where both the councillor and Automat took the time to answer a large number of questions.
A few topics that were discussed:
Many aspects of cycling were discussed, and participants agreed that the guided ride with explanations along the way helped to increase their self-confidence when navigating traffic on a bike. From my own experience, I can say that even if you think you know it all, reviewing certain principles will improve your confidence and increase your correct usage of the cycling infrastructure. This, in turn, helps other road users learn to expect certain predictable behavior from cyclists.
Will an event like this make cycling take off in Prague 6? Hardly. As was pointed out to the councilor by various members of the public, when he complained on Twitter about a lack of interest in this event, safe infrastructure is the main factor that determines whether people will actually ride bikes. Better training will only add a little. However, as the Councilor stated on Monday at the end of the ride, it is unrealistic to expect Prague to become a cycling paradise overnight, even if there was the political will for change. Therefore, even a small event like this should also be organized and appreciated. The discussion on whether Prague does enough will no doubt continue.
Take a look at some of Automat’s publications on cycling behaviour and infrastructure improvement here. Městem na Kole also has a ‚How to‚ section.
If you live in Prague 6, are over 18 years old, and interested in cycling through the city, you can join the second part of this event. On Tuesday 17 September, from 17.00 to 19.00 hours, more advanced infrastructure and manoeuvres are the topic of the next ride. More details will be provided if you register by sending an email to the Prague 6 Traffic Councillor Ondřej Matěj Hrubes at ohrubes@praha6.cz.
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