Ostrava has won a national award for its cycling infrastructure

Deputy Mayor Aleš Boháč commented on the prize: “We’re very proud to have won the ‘Bike to Work 2023’ award, and we’re delighted that our hard work in the field of sustainable mobility has been recognized on the national level. We’ve taken some big steps forward, and we will continue along this path with great enthusiasm in the future. This is the second award we’ve received from the Auto*Mat association this year. We operate on two levels – externally (for the general public and participating cyclists in Ostrava, as the local organizer of the challenge), and internally (as the organizer for City Authority employees).”

For many years the City has covered the costs of registration fees for its employees participating in the May ‘Bike to Work’ challenge. It also provides its staff with various token gifts, and to show its gratitude for their excellent achievement this year it will be holding a staff competition as part of the September challenge, with attractive cycling- and pedestrian-themed prizes on offer.

The first-place finish in the 2023 awards recognizes the impressive progress Ostrava has achieved in the development of cycling provision and infrastructure. The City uses the route data gathered by participants in the ‘Bike to Work’ challenge to support its planning and decision-making in the field of urban mobility. Another key tool for effective planning and implementation is now in the final stages of development – the new Ostrava Cycle Transport Concept, which will define the standards for cycling infrastructure in the city. The route data is processed and analyzed by Ostrava’s Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (MAPPA), which is also responsible for drawing up the cycling concept.

Ostrava’s prize for winning the award is a SCANDIC bicycle service and repair station made by CykloHub, which will be installed in a highly visible and publicly accessible location.

Over the past five years, Ostrava has invested over 308 million CZK in building cycle routes, and 22.46 km of new routes have been completed. Work is currently being launched on the construction of a major new cycle route that will connect several municipal districts. The most prominent new infrastructure completed this year – and one which marks a major step forward for Ostrava’s cycling network – is the bridge over the Ostravice River between Slezská Ostrava and the Lower Vítkovice area. Designed by the architect Josef Pleskot, this striking new structure has removed a long-standing barrier to mobility between both banks of the river, providing cyclists and pedestrians with easier access from the city centre to Lower Vítkovice.

Ostrava’s City Authority received its first cycling-related award in June of this year, winning the title ‘Ostrava Cycling Employer of the Year 2023’. Employees of various companies vote to determine the most cycle-friendly employer, judging the company’s activities (including campaigns to promote cycling) and the quality and accessibility of its facilities and infrastructure for cyclists. The award involves a certification process, which Ostrava is currently undergoing; it will soon be revealed whether the City Authority will receive a bronze, silver or gold award.