Prague will have a digital map of repairs and construction affecting traffic

Prague - The Prague City Hall will have a digital map created of planned repairs and construction that will affect the traffic situation in the city. The aim is to plan construction work in the streets of the metropolis more effectively. This was stated to journalists today by Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates). The map will be completed this year and will primarily serve internal purposes, while some information will be published by the City Hall. The application for the City Hall will be prepared by the city organization Institute of Planning and Development (IPR). There has been long-term discussion about the coordination of work or repairs, and the city has often been criticized for its failure to manage this in the past.

"(The map) will help with better coordination and minimize the impact of closures on traffic in the city. Of course, the Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) is already thoroughly discussing its plans for the reconstruction of roads, bridges, or tunnels with city districts. But it is important to realize that there are many more investors whose construction activities affect traffic flow in the city," Hřib said.

Currently, there are several partial databases that monitor planned construction projects impacting traffic in the city. However, there is currently no tool that would consolidate all information in one place. This is to be taken over by the mentioned digital map, where according to Hřib, everything will be "pushed into one place." The map will thus contain information from road authorities, water companies, gas or electricity distributors, and other companies, both municipal and private.

The basis of the sharing system will be common data standards on construction and investment projects and repairs in public spaces. In the future, the city plans to connect the system with data on construction work from the Central Bohemian Region’s geoportal, especially at the borders of both regions, which has an impact on traffic in the capital. The first data should fill the application by this August.

The city has often been criticized in the past for inadequately coordinating construction projects or not doing so at all. According to Hřib, coordination faces several difficulties that politicians cannot influence. Although the city-owned TSK is aware of the plans of other investors in the streets, the final permits are issued by state administration officials, in whose work politicians must not intervene.

Another issue is unexpected accidents that can disrupt the process. Among them are, for example, gas or water leaks. "That’s not something you can coordinate with anything, because you can't let gas or water leak and wait for someone to come by wanting to dig cables. That doesn’t work," Hřib said. Traffic accidents also affect traffic during closures and construction work.

The creation of the map was welcomed by the opposition movement ANO, but the city leadership was criticized for the delay in its preparation. Moreover, it is unclear who will oversee its use and utilization. "It’s surprising that Zdeněk Hřib, who was mayor for four years, and now has been the Deputy Mayor for Transport for another two years, has now come up with the idea to assign the IPR to create a map of closures. It is a commendable initiative, but he has not explained who will work with it and will have the authority to really coordinate the planned repairs and construction," said ANO council leader Ondřej Prokop.

There has been long-term discussion about construction coordination in the metropolis. For example, in mid-2018, the City Hall established a team for the coordination of traffic closures. Almost a year later, the then leadership of Prague spoke about establishing the role of a communication coordinator for closures. The portal Opravujeme.to was also created, where people can find an overview of planned repairs, especially from the TSK.