The calming of the main road will be jointly addressed by three city districts

Prague - The mayors of three Prague municipal districts today signed an agreement in which they committed to a joint approach to calm the north-south artery. Marek Ječmének (ODS) for Prague 7, Jiří Paluska (ODS) for Prague 2, and Pavel Horálek (ODS) for Prague 4 agreed that calming the artery should be carried out before the completion of the Blanka Tunnel and the finishing of the ring road.
    Today's workshop, which aimed to highlight the most pressing needs of the artery and their possible solutions, was attended at the town hall of the fourth municipal district by architects, representatives of civic initiatives, and the first deputy mayor of Prague, Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09), as well as the Prague councilor for transport, Josef Nosek (ODS).
    Specific measures that should lead to the set goal have not yet emerged from the discussions. However, the debate could in the future bring, for example, changes in the zoning plan, various transport measures, and according to Mayor Horálek, it cannot be ruled out that discussions on low-emission zones will be reopened.
    "We would like to meet again in three months and discuss how our cooperation will continue. We would like these meetings to be regular so that we can generate steps that will at least ease the lives of the three involved town halls," promised Horálek, adding that all three districts will seek both short-term and long-term solutions and will also try to obtain more funding together.
    The mayors will strive, for example, for the partial removal of barriers for pedestrians and cyclists, the expansion of greenery, and the installation of less noisy materials on the road surface. According to Horálek, the basic steps that should lead to the calming of 5th May Street and other roads within twenty years should be expected by Prague residents within two years.
    Jiří Paluska, who heads Prague 2, responded to criticisms about the vague results of today's negotiations with the words: "There are three concrete signatures on the document that show that the three mayors have agreed to proceed in the same manner. This is a huge step forward and very specific."
    "Taming" the north-south artery has been the ambition of several mayors and civic initiatives in recent years. However, they mostly did not address the problem comprehensively, and operational restrictions in one municipal district negatively impacted traffic and operations in the neighboring area. An example of this is the narrowing of Legerova Street, which provided relief for Prague 2, but the leadership of the fourth municipal district protested against it, stating that the number of cars in their area significantly increased.