Prague Approves Mobility Plan!
Representatives of the City of Prague today approved the Sustainable Mobility Plan for Prague and Surroundings – a document setting out 242 specific measures as a long-term solution to facilitate easier linking of the commuter belt and the capital city, ease traffic in general or develop electromobility.
And, last but not least, improve traffic and transportation safety.
The Tune Up Prague project measures, costing roughly 113 billion Czech Crowns, will regulate mobility in Prague and its surrounds up until the year 2030. Following an analysis of problematic locations and in-depth discussion among experts and the layman public, the capital city thus has a clear picture of how it can comprehensively manage transportation and everything related thereto in Prague and its surrounds.
The local government approved the draft P+ documentation back in September 2018, and the last step towards final discussion was then to obtain the standpoint of the SEA at the end of March 2019. The approved strategy deals with eight basic areas, and proposes specific points for improvement in respect of each of these areas. “After twenty years, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan has given us a new transport-policy concept for the 21st-century metropolis that is Prague. Through the 242 specific priority measures, we are making it easier for people to go conveniently on foot or ride their bicycles more. We are cutting down on the number of vehicles passing through the city centre and generally improving life in Prague, including the quality of the air we breathe here,” says Adam Scheinherr, Deputy Mayor of Prague and Councillor for Transport, adding: “Besides, we also have a big debt to repay with respect to air quality in Prague. The new coalition wishes to finally start repaying that debt, and it is important that the schedule also be binding on future Councillors regardless of their political allegiance.”
The strategy adheres to the global trend of carbon intensity reduction, closely connected with ensuring the accessibility of public transportation as well as the transportation of goods, improving the environment and increasing the safety of traffic and transportation. “The specific measures aimed at reducing the carbon footprint include, for example, the introduction of electric buses on certain routes and construction of Park & Ride parking lots at railways in the Central Bohemian Region, i.e., as close as possible to where regular commuters reside. As regards the accessibility of public transportation, a big commitment is to increase the proportion of wheelchair-accessible metro stations from 72 to 95%,” reckons Tune Up Prague project co-ordinator Daniel Šesták.
The councillors’ resolution proposing approval of the Sustainable Mobility Plan for Prague and Surroundings can be found here.