Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Park and ride in Prague
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Prague
Prague is the largest city in the Czech Republic, with a population of
1.2m and an area of 500km². As well as being the country's political
capital, it is an economic and industrial centre. Prague is also one of
the major European cultural centres, with a number of theatres,
museums, galleries and exhibition halls. Its historical core is on the
UNESCO World Heritage List, and attracts some 3m tourists each
year.
About 770,000 jobs are located in the city. Prague also has strong
links with the surrounding region of central Bohemia, which has a
population of 500,000. It is a significant European transport hub, for
road and rail, and has an international airport.
Developing park and ride schemes
GUIDEMAPS looked at the development of a Park and Ride scheme in
Prague as part of the city's integrated public transport system. This
involved building new car parks next to public transport stops.
The aim was to reduce the number of parked cars in the city centre, cut
the amount of traffic heading in and out of the centre, and increase the
use of public transport.
The first car park was built in 1997 and 11 others followed. Together,
they have 1,400 parking spaces. All have the following attributes: they
are less than five minutes away from a public transport stop; they have
good connections to the road network; they are adapted for disabled
drivers; they are fenced and guarded; they have public transport ticket
machines; they cost 0.3 Euros per day; they are open from 4am to 1am.
GUIDEMAPS interests
The Prague practice example illustrated a project involving a range of
institutions, state and local authorities and other participants.In
Prague, GUIDEMAPS explored:
How the different participants communicated;
How suitable locations for the car parks were found;
How the new system was implemented; and
Whether the public was involved in the process.
More are planned.
Above and right: The Park and Ride car parks in operation.
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