Prague has seen a significant spike in the use of shared bicycles, which has prompted the city to invest in developing new cycling paths. The city plans to invest a total of 137 million crowns this year in the construction of these paths. This decision comes in response to last year’s strong increase in public interest in riding shared bicycles, with people benefiting from the free twice-daily 15-minute rides offered by the PID Lítačka App.
Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Piráti) highlighted the convenience of the bicycle as a mode of transportation in the city. “You can practically reach any location from a metro station within 15 minutes by bike,” he stated. In the previous electoral term, Prague agreed with shared bicycle providers Rekola and Nextbike to subsidize quarter-hour rides for users.
According to the head of the city’s cycling commission, Bára Soukup (Piráti), the number of shared bicycle users has grown by a third year-on-year. This trend has motivated the city to focus on developing cycling paths. In a few days, work will begin on Nádražní Street in Prague 5, and a path between Stromovka and Varhulíková Street in Prague 7 will be opened.
The Kačerov bike path on U Labutě Street in Prague 4 is expected to be completed in May. Work on the Podolské embankment in Prague 4 is planned for October. “The competition for the Smíchov cycle terminal is until the end of April when it will start to be designed. Implementation is expected in 2025,” said Deputy Director of Technical Road Administration Josef Richter.
Despite the challenges, Hřib managed to maintain the investment budget at roughly the same level as in previous years. “After tough negotiations, we managed to keep it at about the same level as in previous years, and I consider that a success,” Hřib noted.
Prague is keen to prioritize projects where cyclists will be separated from cars and pedestrians. This has so far been achieved on Smetanovo nábřeží. “Even on Libeňský Bridge, the infrastructure will be separated from pedestrians and cars using so-called Danish lanes,” Soukup added.