INTERVIEW: Prague doesn’t have neighborhoods where you’d be afraid to go. But it is almost impossible to get anywhere without public transport or a car, says the representative
We have less than three weeks until the elections, how is the atmosphere in the Prague team? Pre-election polls show your party’s electoral potential at around 22%, which is at the level of STAN and maybe YES, would such a result be acceptable to you?
Pre-election polls really show that Prague’s chances of continuing to lead Prague are high. And of course, this is also reflected in the atmosphere that prevails among colleagues. It is a confirmation for us that the people of Prague see our work. But we are not resting on our laurels, on the contrary. We have currently managed to complete several major steps that will make life significantly easier for the people of Prague. Last week, for example, it was an aid package, where families with children can very easily draw funds to pay kindergarten fees, costs for the school or school canteen and clubs. I am proud of the fact that my colleague from Prague and I are helping each other just in time.
You are running for mayor in Prague 6, where you live and have your roots. Today, the mayor of this district is Ondřej Kolář from TOP09, who is part of the KDU-ČSL, ODS and STAN coalition. How satisfied are you with the work of the entire coalition and, above all, how do you perceive Mr. Kolář’s work over the past 4 years? Has Prague 6 moved forward over the last period?
The current management of the town hall is putting effort into topics often at the level of foreign relations, such as the statue of Marshal Koněv. However, the comprehensive care for the citizens of Prague 6 in such a way as to increase the quality of life for everyone is faltering. The traffic situation, the lack of places in schools and kindergartens and the insufficient capacity in care for the elderly are troubling the people in the sixth district. City Hall leadership has also relied too much on our neighborhood being a beautiful, green neighborhood where people thrive, regardless of who is taking care of the neighborhood. But now the situation is changing drastically, many families are beginning to struggle with the effects of the economic crisis and there is a need to be there for them, here and now. It is necessary to have a program to deal with the situation, and we, together with our colleagues from Prague, have that.
You yourself are primarily known for your activities in the field of education and training, which you focus on in your work at the Municipality. However, the role of the mayor is more complex, there are more topics to take care of and focus on, what do you think is the most pressing current problem of Prague 6?
It is mainly a heavy burden of transit traffic, few places in schools and kindergartens and few measures that would make life more pleasant and easier for the elderly. My colleagues from Prague and I want to tighten the restrictions on the passage of cars over 12 tonnes. We also have to solve the so-called fallout tourism, i.e. the situation where parents deliberately declare permanent residence for their children near the school they have chosen. But then there is a lack of places for those children who actually live in the locality, and they then have to commute to schools further away. It is also paradoxical that although our district is one of the greenest in the whole of Prague and could be a model district where it is a joy to walk, older people often have to face so many obstacles that they prefer to give up running errands in their district. therefore, to consistently remove 6 barriers from Prague and ensure crossings with a reduced curb, we want to limit car traffic and make boarding trams and buses more pleasant with suitable stops. in short, to make our neighborhood come alive, so that children can walk and go to quality schools around the corner, so that seniors can be seen more on our streets. The last big problem is the lack of modern services for the elderly, there really needs to be a lot of effort. Prague 6 has the largest proportion of senior citizens of all Prague districts, and care for them needs to correspond to this.
Prague itself is still a local party, which, as already evident from the name, has its focus on Prague. However, you are still growing and today you are running in other Prague districts. Is it in the heads of you, the main representatives of this party, that a local party could become a party with nationwide intervention?
Prague solves itself Prague. We stand for specific people who live in specific parts of the city. They know their neighborhood in detail, carry its map in their heads and know exactly where things need to be repaired and improved. In the same way, those who participate in the management of Prague have a deep view and expertise in the areas they are dedicated to and where they solve real problems and bring improvements on a daily level. That Prague would become a party with nationwide reach is not at all on the table at the moment. However, I can’t imagine that specific personalities would enter the national politics of the competition in the future.
One of the main problems of Prague, but of course not only Prague, is traffic. And not only for the massive commuting of people to work from the surrounding regions, which is constantly being solved by the construction of parking lots, but also for new construction, which will have a big impact on the quality of traffic. New housing for a quarter of a million people is being built in Letňany, and a huge modern apartment complex combined with office space is being built in Smíchov. How is Prague preparing for such an increase in people and how will transport be ensured so that there is no increase in queues and impassability?
We need to complete the construction of a robust transport framework that clicks into place. The key is to support different forms of transport, not only individual or, on the contrary, collective. Everything must follow. From parking lots in busy junctions on the outskirts of Prague to additional tram lines, completion of line D to the circular metro line O, which will connect the existing route and thus make it easier to move around the city by the most reliable and fastest way – the metro.
If you were to compare our metropolis with other European cities, in what do you think Prague lags behind and in what, on the contrary, does it excel? In what ways should Prague take an example from elsewhere and in what ways can it be an example to others?
Prague is unique in its architecture, functional public network, which is very cheap compared to other metropolises, and in many parts of the city, the neighborhood atmosphere. We also bring top-quality and transportable health care and a very rich cultural life. It is a safe city, which fortunately lacks neighborhoods where one would be afraid to go, as we know from other European cities. But we have a lot of catching up to do in terms of ensuring capacity in education so that every child has a quality school or kindergarten a few minutes’ walk from their home. There is such interest in secondary school that young people at the end of primary school are not sure that they will get into their dream field, because they are competing with children not only from the Central Bohemian Region who apply to Prague. We also have a lot to catch up on in terms of accessibility on foot, we come across blind spots in the city where it is very difficult to get to without public transport or without a car. We want to continue planting trees and greenery, and above all, transforming public areas into pleasant places where people can find culture, sport or simply relax. They can be simple basketball courts for young people, swimming pools by the river or benches in landscaped parks so that it is pleasant to live in Prague 365 days a year right in your neighborhood.