Hlaváček: Prague fares and parking to rise, road toll planned

Petr Hlaváček, leader of the STAN movement that won the election in Prague and the candidate for mayor, has admitted that unpopular steps lie ahead for the capital: higher prices for the annual transit pass and resident parking, and the introduction of a road toll. In his words, voters backed “finishing Prague”, and the city should become a comprehensive, modern metropolis.

Hlaváček intends to build on the recently approved Metropolitan Plan, which envisages new neighbourhoods on the sites of today’s brownfields, with full civic and transport amenities.

Fares and parking will go up

He again did not rule out raising the price of the annual pass on Prague public transport. “It needs to be brought back to the level it was at under Adriana Krnáčová (ANO),” Hlaváček said. The annual Lítačka pass now costs 3,650 crowns; before, it cost 4,750 crowns.

He also intends to raise the price of resident parking. “Public space has enormous value,” the politician said, noting that a restaurant or café that takes up part of it pays a lot of money.

The toll is a matter of several years

To introduce a road toll, the city ring road must first be completed and the law changed, which will take at least several years. “The toll has to come, because Prague will keep growing and will be bigger than it is today,” Hlaváček explained. He said the toll would apply inside the city ring road, though he expects it will not apply to residents living inside that ring. He expects the topic to spark debate.

Coalition deal by November

Hlaváček, who faced ANO leader Jan Hušbauer in a debate, would like the agreement on the future Prague coalition to be finished in November. As leader of the winning STAN, he is expected to take the post of mayor. He is ready to negotiate with representatives of Spolu pro Prahu, Praha sobě and the Pirates.

A coalition of STAN and Spolu pro Prahu, according to Hlaváček, “cannot be ruled out”. He sees its drawback in the fact that it would have only a slim majority — 34 of 65 seats.

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Source: novinky.cz