Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) rode a cargo bike along the Prague waterfront on October 5. The bike was loaned to him by the founder of a cargo bike store and advocate of this form of transport. The aim was to introduce the minister to this mode of transportation. Meanwhile, another ministry cut European funding for cargo bikes, redirecting it to automobile transportation.
On October 5, Minister Kupka tested a cargo bike on the A2 cycle route in Prague. The bike was provided by Michal Navrátil, the founder of Cink.bike, a cargo bike retailer in Prague. Kupka said: “I tried out the cargo bike. The first few meters were tough, but then I got the hang of it. It was a pleasant way to clear my head before a parliament meeting.”
The Navrátil brothers through this event aimed to highlight the potential of cargo bikes as a transportation option in urban areas. Vojtěch Navrátil expressed his gratitude on the X network, stating: „I want to sincerely thank you all for your time, interest, and the opportunity to let you experience riding an electric bike and showcase the possibilities of cargo bikes for individuals and businesses. We’re glad you enjoyed the ride.“
Cargo bikes are used in cities to transport goods or children and are becoming increasingly popular in many European capitals. In the Czech Republic, their expansion is slowly beginning, with several cycle depots operating in Prague, from which logistics companies‘ cargo bikes depart. The first such depot was established in Florenc in 2020.
While the transport minister was testing a cargo bike, the Ministry of Industry and Trade canceled a planned 50 million CZK subsidy aimed at supporting the purchase of electric cargo bikes. These funds were part of the National Recovery Plan, a European Union project for post-COVID recovery. The 50 million CZK was intended to support cargo bike transportation, which was the only remaining funding for cycling in the plan after the government rejected a proposal from regions to allocate 7 billion CZK for the construction of cycle paths.
Despite Prague’s interest in using the funds for cargo bikes, the Ministry of Industry and Trade ultimately decided to redirect the money to support electric cars. The government has already allocated around 2 billion CZK for electric vehicles under the recovery plan.
This is an adjusted machine translation using Automat’s CycleLingo Translator (ChatGPT) of this article: https://mestemnakole.cz/2024/10/ministr-dopravy-kupka-se-po-prazskem-nabrezi-projel-na-cargokole/
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