Watch out on Smetanovo Embankment: Cycle Route A2 is one of the riskiest spots in central Prague

In the past ten years alone, according to statistics from the Transport Research Centre (CDV), there have been 18 recorded cycling accidents here, 13 of them involving injuries. The real number is much higher, since many accidents never make it into the official database.

Why is Smetanovo Embankment so risky?

The problem arises when someone riding from Mánes toward the National Theatre has to cross into the space between the tram tracks at the tram stop. At that moment, several risks converge:

• A queue of cars forms behind the rider, unable to overtake due to lane dividers (“bumpers”). Nervous drivers create pressure and force the cyclist to ride faster than they would like.
• One must check behind to see if a tram is approaching.
• At the same time, the cyclist has to cross the tracks as perpendicularly as possible; otherwise, the wheel can get caught in the groove, causing a fall.

This combination of stressors is overwhelming even for experienced cyclists, and it is precisely at these moments that many crashes occur.

Accidents in numbers

CDV records cover the entire section from the National Theatre stop to the intersection with Národní třída Street. In the past ten years, 18 accidents have been recorded here, 13 involving injuries. The most common causes were wheels getting stuck in the tram tracks or loss of control when merging between trams and cars. Accidents happen here nearly every year.

Local residents confirm that the statistics reflect only a fraction of reality. Mrs. Jana Š., who lives nearby, said: “Just this summer I called an ambulance here four times. And those aren’t all the cases—falls happen much more often.”

The danger is not limited to the spot by the National Theatre stop. The entire stretch of the embankment up to Národní třída Street is risky. And just a few hundred meters further, by Karlovy Lázně, cyclists must again merge between the tracks—another spot where frequent crashes occur.

How others solve it

In Switzerland and Germany, similar sites are fitted with special rubber inserts inside the tram tracks, narrowing the groove and preventing bicycle wheels from slipping in. However, these inserts have limited durability, and due to the need for frequent replacement, Prague has not implemented them so far.

A temporary solution: heightened caution

Until the situation is resolved, cyclists are urged to:

• Cross the tram tracks at as steep an angle as possible to avoid slipping.
• Don’t let yourself be pressured by impatient drivers behind you. Chances are you’ll meet them again at the next traffic light or traffic jam.
• Stay fully focused; if there are too many stimuli, it’s safer to slow down rather than speed up.

Hidden accident numbers

The CDV statistics capture only part of reality. As shown in Michal Šindelář’s recent analysis “One accident out of ten”, only about 1 in 10 cycling accidents makes it into official police statistics. Nine out of ten remain hidden—handled only by paramedics, or endured privately by the cyclist. The real number of crashes on Smetanovo Embankment is therefore many times higher than the official figures.

Improvements on the horizon?

The city already knows the solution. The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) has prepared a project for a two-way cycle path, separated from both cars and trams, running along the Vltava from Mánes to the National Theatre. It would replace one traffic lane for cars and thus eliminate the most dangerous part of the route.

However, the project depends on reducing transit traffic on the embankment—a political decision that leaders have so far lacked the courage to make.