Three new contraflow bike routes in Prague 6

„Most of the suggestions for contraflow bike lanes come from local citizens or from the editorial office of Městem na kole. We verify all proposals and where it makes sense and is possible from a traffic safety perspective, we try to implement these suggestions,“ says Ondřej Matěj Hrubeš (ODS), councilor for transportation at the Municipal District of Prague 6, on the municipal information server Dopravni6.cz.

Myslivečková

The new contraflow bike lane on Myslivečkova Street near Větrník was marked based on a citizen’s request and spans the entire length between Na Větrníku and Na Petřinách streets. The counterflow passage for cyclists is highlighted with a pictocorridor, especially at intersections.

The contraflow bike lane on Myslivečkova will facilitate access to this district from Na Větrníku Street, especially to Dusíkova Street, where there is also a kindergarten. Previously, access to Dusíkova was very complicated, essentially only possible from the busy Na Petřinách Street.

The two-way bike lane on Diskařská

The two-way bike lane on Diskařská was established based on a decision by the Prague 6 transportation department. Following a request from a local sports club, a one-way street was marked on Diskařská to prevent motorists from taking shortcuts between Vaníčková and Dlabačov, which created hazardous situations in front of the sports club entrance, frequented by children attending sports classes. The transportation department recorded a high traffic load in Diskařská at peak times, with 353 vehicles per hour, and decided to reduce the number of cars passing through by making it one-way.

At the same time, it was decided that there was no reason to restrict bicycle passage on the one-way street: „The administrative body, along with the Prague City Hall Department of Transportation and the Municipal District of Prague 1, concluded that in line with the trend of supporting non-motorized transport, it is appropriate to allow two-way cyclist traffic. The width of the road on Diskařská easily permits this (the lane width is about 6 meters), and cyclists do not significantly endanger pedestrians,“ states the justification for this change.

The contraflow bike lane (and consequently the one-way street) on Diskařská has already been marked. However, reconstruction of the pedestrian bridge to the Dlabačov terminal is currently underway, rendering the entire street impassable until the work on the bridge is completed.

U Vojenské nemocnice/U Šesté baterie: Path and future two-way bike lane

Another novelty, rather formal, is the marking of a pathway for pedestrians and cyclists in the western part of U Šesté baterie street, which essentially has been operating in this mode for a long time. According to Ondřej Matěj Hrubeš (ODS), the councilor for transportation of Prague 6, the pathway was marked following a meeting between political representatives and local citizens, who proposed this change at the meeting. There was reportedly some confusion about whether cyclists were allowed to enter this street or not, considering it is a quiet zone often used by parents with children on bikes, for example. The office thus decided to officially mark the path to eliminate any doubts about the local traffic regime.

It is worth noting that in the eastern part of the street, after many requests in 2020, a contraflow bike lane was established, which also essentially confirmed the local status quo.

During the approval process for the mentioned new pathway, two comments were received pointing out that people cycling from Petřiny did not have legal access to U Šesté baterie street due to a few meters of a one-way section on U Vojenské nemocnice street.

The office responded to these comments and decided to mark a few meters of a two-way bike lane on U Vojenské nemocnice street, which will allow direct passage from Na Petřinách street to U Šesté baterie street. The two-way bike lane has not yet been marked along the pathway, but it is expected to be done soon.