The Prague Post Online: News: Parking garages slated for center

August 22nd, 2008

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Parking garages slated for center

Prague 3 locals angered over planned lots in their district

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 23rd, 2008 issue

The city is preparing to break ground on a dozen centrally located underground car parks, a plan that angers some residents.

Planning and zoning officials hope the new garages will facilitate more central parking, as moving traffic to the city’s outskirts could be detrimental to the livelihood of the downtown area. Construction of the 12 garages — which will be located in the Na Františku and Klárov areas and under the squares Karlínské náměstí, Senovážné náměstí and náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad — is slated to begin in 2012 and will take approximately two years to complete.

“We really need to build these new garages, as these areas have a very high density of inhabitants,” said Zdeněk Fikar, chief of the planning and zoning department in Prague 3. “It’s just one part of an ongoing plan to control traffic congestion in Prague. The number of cars in the city is increasing each year, and the garages will help clear the streets in these neighborhoods.”

The new garages will not be the first of their kind in the city — a 120-space facility under Wuchterlova and Kafkova streets in Prague 6 opened last December and has reached 90 percent capacity since then. The city’s choice of underground parking garages in lieu of aboveground facilities echoes similar projects in neighboring countries, including Germany and Austria, Fikar said. Cities such as Munich and Vienna have had great success with similar parking garages built in high-traffic areas close to the center.

“We were inspired by many other cities in Europe,” he said. “Of course, we know from their experience that these garages won’t solve all of Prague’s traffic problems, but they will definitely help.”

Officials say the underground car garages could also potentially boost tourism in certain areas. An elaborate 2002 long-term gentrification plan for náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad includes seeking UNESCO protection for the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. With space for 420 cars, the new garage could boost the church’s position on the local tourist map, Fikar said.

“Local politicians have big ambitions for náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad,” he said, adding that clearing the street level areas will help to improve the view of the church as pedestrians approach it. At present, 25 percent of the parking spaces will be designated for tourists, with the remaining 75 percent reserved for permit-holding area residents.

Red light

However, many Prague 3 residents are angered by the city’s plans to locate three of the 12 garages in the Žižkov area. While the planned garage for náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad has drawn only minor rumblings, the remaining two car parks — one to be located under Ondříčkova and Pod Lipami streets as well as a second planned for Škroupovo náměstí — have come under intense criticism from area residents. Locals have formed two protest organizations, Žižkov 06 and Za evropský Jarov, o.s., which recently prepared a petition signed by 2,090 people, including 840 Prague 3 residents.

The new garages would lead to an increase of traffic, noise and smog in what is now a residential area, organizers said. The Pod Lipami garage’s proximity to an elementary school has raised concerns among parents as well.

“Our association is not against building new parking lots where they are needed and in appropriate locations,” said Libuše Havlíčková, chairwoman of Za evropský Jarov, o.s. “But building the new parking lots in this area could endanger schoolchildren and passers-by, and the local streets, furthermore, cannot handle the new traffic. We ask Prague 3 district officials to cancel their building plans.”

Protest officials say another issue is the amount of noise pollution that will be involved in the garage’s construction. The current limit is 80 sound decibels during daytime hours, and the machinery can produce a level of 100 or more decibels when operating.

Havlíčková also noted that greenery in local gardens was destroyed during land surveys conducted last year. While the Prague 3 Town Hall fined the inspection company, Havlíčková said her group fears that further environmental damage, including to the park on Škroupovo náměstí, could result.

Fikar said that, while his department understands the concerns, such conflicts with area residents are inevitable.

“Each time you build something for public use, there will be some technical problems to be dealt with, and people living in that given neighborhood will be upset,” he said. “The closest inhabitants will always be against it.”

— Nina Hoťková contributed to this report.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at news@praguepost.com

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