Half a decade at the top: Otrokovice as the Cycling City of 2024 - Do práce na kole

Half a decade at the top: Otrokovice as the Cycling City of 2024

Half a decade at the top: Otrokovice as the Cycling City of 2024
8. 1. 2025, 10 min. čtení

At the beginning of December, we set out to visit Otrokovice with the lovely duty of handing over the title of Cycling City of the Year to the city management for cycling, walking, or jogging to work. As solemn as the occasion was, our meeting with the ladies from the Town Hall was very informal and friendly. After all, it wasn’t the first time we met, and the location of the sixth largest city in the Zlín Region probably didn’t surprise anyone involved. However, not everything is rosy here either.

That Otrokovice is a traditional bastion of urban cyclists was once again confirmed by the participation in this year’s May Challenge, which filled out our survey, as well as by the CykloRank Česko tool. We used it for the second time this year when evaluating the friendliness of our cities for pedestrians and cyclists. It was created in cooperation with the magazine Městem na kole, the Do práce na kole Challenge, and the Plzeň na kole association, and is an analysis of the quantity and quality of cycling infrastructure in 127 Czech cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The combination of both showed that Hradec Králové finished in first place in this year’s poll, and Otrokovice was second.

When you arrive in Otrokovice by train, a bicycle will be one of the first things you see

Castling at the highest levels

But since Hradec won the title in 2023, this year it moved to the Hall of Fame, from which Otrokovice returned to the top of our ranking after two years. This rollout only confirmed that there are still plenty of cities in the Czech Republic that have a lot to catch up on in terms of infrastructure for non-motorized transport, and those that shine, their population can appreciate. As a rule, it is precisely in these cities that the management of town halls sets an example in non-motorized transport. In Otrokovice, we are welcomed at the station by an important figure in local sustainable mobility, the coordinator of the May Challenge in Zlín and Otrokovice, Jana Vybíralová from the CykloZlín initiative.

On a bike all year round

Together we move to the city office, on the way we admire the local separate cycle infrastructure and cycle racks in front of shops, despite the December weather, people on bicycles pass us from time to time. At the town hall, we meet the mayor of Otrokovice, Hana Večerková, and press spokesperson Lenka Vaculová. “We are very happy that we managed to find a date for our meeting before the end of the year, even if it was only by chance,” laughs Vaculová. Renáta Krystyníková, Otrokovica’s cycling coordinator, head of the city’s transport and administration department, and cycling enthusiast, unfortunately, does not have an extra minute in the pre-Christmas chaos.

On the way to the office

The official red tape has its own head

Hana Večerková assures us that the title Cycling City 2024 for Otrokovice does not mean that the building of cycling infrastructure is over. “The problem for us is the very binding standards that do not allow for any exceptions when it comes to separate cycle paths and, for example, their crossing with the road,” he says. “People just want to take the shortest route,” nods Lucie Rýzlerová, head of the Do práce na bike challenge. “The standards aim for higher safety, which is correct, but in practice, the opposite often happens. People avoid the built-in deviation and shorten their route by a direct route,” Vaculová adds, adding that the standards are becoming more and more strict. According to Večerková, ownership relations are another problem. “We now have 3 projects for cycle paths underway, but we are still in the phase of projects and negotiations with land owners and the Transport Inspectorate,” he adds.

The voice of the people, the voice of God

But to get to something positive: “This year, within the framework of the Move the City project, which is a participatory budget, the lighting of the bike path to Zlín from the Trávníky housing estate won. Many people go to work here, either from Otrokovice to Zlín, or vice versa. The lighting will be implemented next year and will be solar-powered. It will replace the public lighting that is not in the section. This will make the route safer for pedestrians and cyclists. And we are really happy about that,” says the mayor. Mrs. Vybíralová nods that she too voted for him. And Vaculová adds that there were more bicycle-focused projects in the game. “People are used to bicycle transport in Otrokovice and use it a lot. We also have a new bike wash that people voted for last year and we implemented it this year.”

Officials also ride their bikes to work here

Who will be home first?

“Local companies also support our cycling events, e.g. our traditional cycle ride Otrokovice – Dubnice nad Váhom,” the mayor continues. “For experienced teams, it is an opportunity to enjoy undisturbed driving of less than 100 km on the road. They treat it more like a race. But it’s a very nice event that even hobby cyclists will enjoy, and we’re happy for every opportunity to invite people to the saddle,” he explains. Otrokovice, like any city, faces traffic jams. “Those who prefer cycling get home faster than those who drive a car. The size of our city and the fact that it lies on a plain contributes to this,” he adds. Of course, the ladies from Otrokovice Town Hall are pleased with the Cyklomestó of the Year award. “We appreciate it very much. Personally, I am very happy that our citizens respond to the call, leave their cars at home and travel to work on foot, trot or by bike,” smiles the mayoress.

Who wersus whom

“For a long time now, we have been asked for a European subsidy from the Integrated Territorial Investment of the Zlín agglomeration to connect the Baťova cycle path, and we hope that we will be able to implement it as soon as possible,” adds Večerková. However, there are many more reasons to support bicycle transport in Otrokovice as well. Cycling also helps to solve the issue of public health. “And taking it round and round, if every household had one bike instead of one car, it would be a lot more cheerful in terms of the parking area as well. Cities have their limits, and we will either have green areas where people can meet and children can play or concreted parking lots,” Vaculová concludes with a slight jab at the ever-increasing number of registered vehicles in the city.

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