Iniciative 0 Unveils Map of Dangerous Spots for Vulnerable Road Users in a Happening at Staroměstská

Initiative 0 today unveiled a new interactive map of dangerous locations in Prague at a happening near Staroměstská metro station. The web application allows people to report traffic accidents as well as places where they feel unsafe while getting around the city — such as problematic pedestrian crossings and intersections, streets whose design encourages drivers to exceed the speed limit, or places where people are afraid to let their children travel on their own. At launch, the map already contained more than 40 reports from the public, collected by the initiative through a pilot survey.

The interactive map was created over the past few months as part of the volunteer activities of Initiative 0, an independent community formed with the support of the AutoMat association following the tragic death of a young cyclist in 2024 and other serious crashes in central Prague. The initiative’s goal is to advocate for a safer city for everyone and a vision of zero traffic fatalities.

“People rarely talk about how often we experience danger while getting around Prague. We want to be able to walk to work or take our children to school without worry, and perhaps even enjoy the journey. We should not have to accept deaths, injuries or even everyday stress as an unavoidable price of urban traffic,” says initiative member Alžběta Rychnovská.

The map allows people to share not only their experiences of traffic crashes and dangerous situations, but also suggestions for improvements and examples of places where conditions have successfully improved. According to the organisers, it therefore complements official statistics with the everyday experiences of people getting around the city on foot, by bicycle or with children.

“The map has both a practical and a therapeutic dimension. It gives people a space to share their experiences while also sending an important signal to politicians and public officials about how people actually feel in the city,” Rychnovská adds.

“We believe that through the Map of Stories and the Zero Challenge, we can give a voice to everyone who feels that something is wrong with our public space and does not feel safe. We want to help spark the necessary discussion, highlight specific problems and bring about a change in the way we approach transport infrastructure,” adds Kryštof Hes, creator of the Map of Stories.

The happening at the pedestrian crossing near Staroměstská symbolically highlighted the vulnerability of pedestrians, cyclists, older people, parents with children, and people with limited mobility on Prague’s streets. The event was also supported on site by the AutoMat association and Klimababičky.

“As one of the founders of Prague Mothers, I am happy to join Initiative 0. We were raising awareness of the negative impacts of car traffic almost 40 years ago. Since then, the situation in Prague has deteriorated many times over,” says Anna Hradilková of Klimababičky.

According to Anna Kociánová of AutoMat, the initiative aims to turn the reports collected through the map into concrete comments and proposals for Prague’s municipal districts and City Hall.

“The most vulnerable road users pay the highest price for dangerous streets. Yet they are often blamed instead — for example, in connection with wearing a helmet, having enough reflective elements, or being expected to make eye contact with drivers. The Vision Zero goal of zero traffic fatalities has already been achieved in several European cities through high-quality infrastructure and consistent enforcement of traffic rules. Our goal is for Prague to join them,” says Anna Kociánová.

According to statistics, there were 135 crashes involving pedestrians in Prague during the first quarter of this year. One person was killed, 17 were seriously injured and 105 sustained minor injuries. Between 2015 and 2025, there were 198,000 traffic crashes in Prague, in which 7,700 pedestrians and cyclists were injured, nearly 1,000 of them seriously. A total of 144 pedestrians and cyclists died as a result of their injuries.

The interactive map and the initiative’s new website are available at:

https://mapa.iniciativanula.cz/

https://iniciativanula.cz/

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