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Bicycle lanes in V Olšinách street – another stage of realization

In the autumn 2009, a new bicycle lane in direction from the city centre has been marked in the eastern part of V Olšinách street as a measure integrating Průběžná and Dobročovická streets in the track of the main A 230 bicycle route. This second phase of integrating measures was realized as a continuation of the pilot section of the bicycle lanes in Vršovická and V Olšinách streets built in the autumn 2008 (in Czech only).

before reconstruction - summer 2009	after reconstruction  - November 2009

  

Despite the fact, that the bicycle lanes in the eastern part of V Olšinách street had been projected for some time, their construction was urged with the aim to increase the safety of pedestrians at the crossings between the Strašnická metro station and the roundabout at the crossroad with Solidarity street. This project, which was prepared in cooperation of the Department of Transport of the City of Prague, BESIP (Road Traffic Safety Department of the Ministry of Transport) and the Commission for Bicycle Transport of the Prague City Council, integrated new features like cycle-picto-corridor as well as standardized situations like the details of the signs laid down in the fresh released Methodical handbook for cycling signs in the main traffic space. There was not enough time to prepare and realize a good quality project in both directions. Also, the surface of the road calls for a complex reconstruction, which would not be possible in 2009, therefore the measure was realized only in the direction from the city centre. Horizontal signs in the other direction are expected to be marked after the complex reconstruction of the road, which is to take place in 2010.

As was already mentioned, one of the main goals of this measure is to increase the safety of the pedestrian crossings and calming the traffic. Eastern part of V Olšinách street originally had two simultaneous traffic lanes (with the exception of the area around the roundabout).

 

Only one (left) traffic lane has been kept since the right traffic lane was changed into a cycle lane and parking space for cars. This measure brought the following:

• natural traffic calming (especially since the overtaking is not possible any more), 
• shortening of the five pedestrian crossings (and removing the risk of a car hitting the pedestrian when crossing the second traffic lane), 
• clear marking of the corridor for bicyclists, 
• more parking space and better static transport (the local deficit of parking spots was most evident in Oravská and Žermanická streets).

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In the first part of the road following Průběžná street, the new bicycle lane was marked out without further organizational and traffic changes in the “residual” space between the traffic lane and the parking lane (similarly to the previously realized sections located western from this one).

The next section located at the Strašnická metro station with a formerly unpleasantly wide road and a bus bay saw a better traffic arrangement. The bus bay has been physically separated from the lanes and thus the whole area became clearer and the conditions for safer passage of bicyclists as well as for the bus operation (especially when people are getting of and boarding the coaches) have been improved.

The busy pedestrian crossings located in the following section had been the primary reason for the modification of the traffic regime in this area – a supermarket located on the right from the street is where most of the people from the neighbourhood walk to or the cars pull off.

 

At the roundabout, which is crossing Solidarity street, the common traffic of bicycles and other vehicles remains – this solution seems to be the most appropriate and the safest for roundabouts of this size; even experience from abroad has proven this. The traffic shade at the right edge of the road before the roundabout was, however, shortened enabling for longer protected bicycle corridor.

Similar measures as before the roundabout were realized after it. The bicycle lane has been interrupted when it crosses the bus stop Dobročovická – this solution reflects the preference of public transport and safety of traffic in general. According to the law, the driver of a vehicle (which also includes a bicycle) is obliged to allow the bus to pull out from the bus stop. On the other hand, the law states traffic preference of the vehicle driving in the designated traffic lane. With regard to the worse visibility of cyclists in the rear-view mirror, which is due to their smaller “size”, reflection of cars driving behind them, dark clothing or irresponsible omission of lights, this solution is better in situations when the bus operates frequently (more than 120 buses per day in this case).

The bicycle lane finishes at the crossroads with Dobročovická street where it is concluded by a short cycle-picto-corridor, which is to be prolonged to the bicycle stopping area V 19 after the reconstruction of the crossroads at Úvalská street.

 

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Notes to the pictures:

• the state before the construction was captured in summer 2009, 
• the state after the construction was documented in November 2009,
• the state of operation after the construction was taken in the beginning of March 2010 (just after the snow melted away).

 

These comparative images, apart from other things, also show the occupancy of the new parking space the mess displayed after the melting of snow especially on that side of the road, where cars do not drive. Bicycle lanes and bicycle paths were cleaned in the following week.

See the area in the dynamic map..

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By the end of the year 2009, almost 23 km of bicycle lanes and more then 11 km of cycle-picto-corridors have been marked in Prague. For more details see the statistical information on the cycle infrastructure in Prague (in Czech only).