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Prague tourist area bike ban to be enforced from the end of the monthprague_cc_licensed_by_roman_boed_via_flickr.jpg

Prague tourist area bike ban to be enforced from the end of the month

Cycling tours to be a thing of the past
by Alex Bowden
Thu, Jul 19, 2018 15:42
6

A daytime ban on cycling in some of Prague’s major tourist areas will be enforced from the end of the month. While restrictions were introduced at the end of May, the ban is not currently being enforced as traffic signs are not yet in place.

Cycling is not allowed in the Czech capital’s most visited areas between the hours of 10am and 5pm, with the Prague 1 district, which has imposed the ban, arguing that they are a hazard to tourists.

Areas include part of Wenceslas Square, Karlova street on the approach to the 600-year-old Charles Bridge, and Josefov, site of the city’s former Jewish ghetto.

The ban was originally intended to apply only to motorised bikes marketed to tourists since the city banned Segways in 2016, but was then expanded to include all bikes.

Prague 1 Mayor Oldřich Lomecký told prague.tv that city centre streets aren’t wide enough for both pedestrians and cyclists.

“We are seeing such conflicts every day, and that is the essence of the problem,” he said. “The footpaths are intended primarily for pedestrians, and they complain.”

Signs informing people of the ban are now being put up around the border of the affected area.

Auto*Mat, a local pro-cycling campaign group, says that nearly 1,000 cars will retain permits to enter central Prague’s otherwise pedestrian-only zones.

Vratislav Filler said: “Data shows there were 21 pedestrians hit by cars over the past 10 years, and only three involved in accidents with bicycles.

“The council just doesn’t think supporting cycling or creating corridors for cyclists is necessary in the city centre. It means cyclists are going to be forced on to streets that are dangerous because they have heavy car traffic and busy tram lines.”

Prague
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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6 comments

Avatar
brooksby | 6 years ago
1 like

Quote:

Auto*Mat, a local pro-cycling campaign group, says that nearly 1,000 cars will retain permits to enter central Prague’s otherwise pedestrian-only zones.

If the roads are too narrow for bicycles and pedestrians, how come they are wide enough for cars and pedestrians? Are Prague cars particularly small?? 

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
3 likes

That's another place I would have liked to have visited that's struck off the list. Unless work makes me go.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
1 like

don simon wrote:

That's another place I would have liked to have visited that's struck off the list. Unless work makes me go.

That's a shame - it's a beautiful city. I'm kind of split on this decision as Prague has a LOT of tourists, so it's not really the best place to cycle through.

I'm also a fan of Prague as it has a funicular and that's one of my favourite words (it's also very Kafkaesque).

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
1 like
hawkinspeter wrote:

don simon wrote:

That's another place I would have liked to have visited that's struck off the list. Unless work makes me go.

That's a shame - it's a beautiful city. I'm kind of split on this decision as Prague has a LOT of tourists, so it's not really the best place to cycle through.

I'm also a fan of Prague as it has a funicular and that's one of my favourite words (it's also very Kafkaesque).

Yes, but it also has squirrels.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to CygnusX1 | 6 years ago
3 likes
CygnusX1 wrote:
hawkinspeter wrote:

don simon wrote:

That's another place I would have liked to have visited that's struck off the list. Unless work makes me go.

That's a shame - it's a beautiful city. I'm kind of split on this decision as Prague has a LOT of tourists, so it's not really the best place to cycle through.

I'm also a fan of Prague as it has a funicular and that's one of my favourite words (it's also very Kafkaesque).

Yes, but it also has squirrels.

Franz Kafka wrote:

It was a squirrel, it was a squirrel, a wild female nutcracker, a jumper, a climber, and her bushy tail was famous in all the forests. This squirrel, this squirrel was always travelling, always searching, it couldn’t talk about this, not because it lacked the power of speech but because it had absolutely no time.

Avatar
brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 6 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:
Franz Kafka wrote:

It was a squirrel, it was a squirrel, a wild female nutcracker, a jumper, a climber, and her bushy tail was famous in all the forests. This squirrel, this squirrel was always travelling, always searching, it couldn’t talk about this, not because it lacked the power of speech but because it had absolutely no time.

{picture of a squirrel}

Brilliant! yes

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