The transition between the sidewalk and the tram island is a place of frequent traffic accidents. The city management has newly changed the traffic signs here – in the direction of Prosek, the crossing is crossed by only one lane, into which the original two are already narrowing before the crossing. Prague 8 criticizes this solution and instead argues for the location of the traffic light.

“Light-controlled intersections and pedestrian crossings are among the safest. We propose several possible solutions, the best of which, in our opinion, is the light-controlled traffic light crossing, which would be synchronized with the traffic light 70 meters further at the Střelničná-Davídkova junction. This would not have any impact on the flow of traffic, “says Martin Jedlička, Chairman of the Prague 8 Transport Commission (TOP 09).

City Hall: It’s activism

“We criticize the activist approach of the Deputy Mayor for Transport, Scheinherr, where gas traffic is deteriorating due to the constant narrowing of the transport space,” adds Jedlička. According to Prague 8 councilor for transport Tomáš Slabihoudek (TOP 09), the municipality chose this solution mainly because it is a cheaper option compared to the installation of a traffic light.

However, the municipality resolutely rejects the criticism of Prague 8 and stands behind the chosen procedure. “We know from the data that this will not limit car traffic in any way. In the direction of Prosek, approximately 95 percent of vehicles already pass through one lane, ”says Adam Scheinherr, Deputy Mayor for Transport (Prague himself).

The Prague 8 City Council needs Scheinherr in order not to interfere in traffic in this way, specifically so that, under the pretext of, for example, the development of bicycle traffic or increasing safety does not worsen the flow of traffic, for example by removing lanes.

Both camps agree that this is a section dangerous for pedestrians. The crossing crosses a total of four lanes and also a tram lane. “Since 2007, there have been a total of 29 accidents in both directions at this transition. In 16 cases, a collision with a pedestrian, when one was killed, four seriously injured and eleven lightly. The last serious accident occurred in February this year, when the woman ended up in the intensive care unit for 14 days. At peak times, 120 to 150 people pass here per hour, ”predate Scheinherr.

He adds that the project Safe Routes to Schools of Burešov Elementary School evaluated the given place as risky. The city tried to secure the transition as early as 2018, also by narrowing it down. After four days, however, it repainted the stripes back, mainly due to the large number of complaints from Prague 8.

The experts do not agree either

The traffic light and the narrowing bring advantages and disadvantages. To some extent, however, the flow of traffic will worsen both solutions. “Shortening transitions into a single lane is a functional and inexpensive solution. The direct direction for cars is already pulled into one lane at the signaled intersections both before and after the crossing, which turns are not very significant, “defends the current solution of the AutoMat transport expert Vratislav Filler. He also sees an advantage in the speed of measures compared to the installation of a traffic light.

On the contrary, for a better solution, we recommend the traffic light traffic expert from the Road Safety Team Roman Budský, with the proviso that the narrowing will always affect the flow of traffic. He is also worried about passing trams. “Many pedestrians, when they see traffic jamming, will try to expect drivers to cross the crossing quickly, so they may also run directly under a passing tram,” he warns. He also adds that the absence of a traffic light could lead to pedestrians crossing the car proud to stop again and again, which will slow down traffic anyway.

“The essence of deciding between a single-lane measure and signaling is, in the end, mainly whether it is preferable for the place to work better for pedestrians or rather for drivers. As a result, professional issues become political, which is why there are such disputes around this one transition, “concludes Filler.

Clogged north of the metropolis

Due to many repairs and closures, which are currently a big topic in Prague, the northern part of the city is facing traffic complications in many places. By the end of November, the part of Prosecká Street, which is one of the main northern roads, will be closed on both sides. Due to this closure, Zenklova Street is much busier, which is repeatedly collapsing.

At the end of this week, Tupolevova Street in Letňany should be passable again. A little next door, Veselská Street should be a two-way passable this week, with one lane in each direction. Drivers experienced difficult times there at the beginning of September, when they remained imprisoned in the car park of OC Letňany due to a traffic jam. The situation had to be quickly resolved by the Technical Administration of Communications by accessing one lane from the shopping center towards the D8.

To all this, we expect the statement of the municipality of repair and Argentinská Street, where traffic is already much heavier, because behind the Barricade Bridge he lost one lane at the expense of the exit from Blanka.