Blanka II no longer has an environmental impact. The ministry has reversed its position

The continuation of Prague’s City Ring Road no longer requires an environmental impact assessment. The decision was made by the Ministry of the Environment, led by the Motorists party. Until now, there had been three separate environmental impact assessments, one for each section. They also set out a number of conditions for completing the urban motorway.

As we pointed out last year, the city was scrambling at the last minute to deal with the fact that the positive 2012 EIA statement could expire. Due to a change in legislation, it is no longer possible to extend its validity. At the same time, however, the proposal for completing the City Ring Road had undergone such substantial changes that the existing positive assessment needed to be reconsidered.

And it is precisely the decision to put the road underground that Satra, the company representing the city, and now the ministry have used to justify why the EIA statement is no longer required. The same applies to a number of binding conditions, such as the introduction of a toll.

This was decided through a screening procedure, to which AutoMat submitted comments last year, putting forward a number of proposals. Prague 7 and Prague 10, the ministry’s own air protection department, other civic associations and members of the public did the same, calling for a full environmental impact assessment. That did not happen.

“Having assessed the characteristics of the project in accordance with Annex 2 to the Act, it is clear that the screening procedure demonstrated that the proposed changes cannot, either individually, cumulatively among themselves or cumulatively with other projects, have a significant adverse impact on the environment or public health. In other words, the revised design of the project, compared with the projects described in the previous three EIA documents, does not represent a significant adverse impact on the environment or public health,” ministry officials have now concluded.

As for removing the existing conditions, they stated: “The changes consisting in the removal and modification of the conditions set out in the original EIA statements … were also assessed in detail as part of the project notification and in the supporting expert studies, and were incorporated into the updated project design. The removal and modification of these conditions will not create any new requirements or impacts that would have a significant adverse effect on the environment or public health.”

It is worth adding that much smaller projects have routinely been required to undergo an EIA. Recent examples include the planned Vltava Philharmonic Hall and the Florenc21 project. In those cases, however, the assessments were handled by Prague City Hall rather than the “Motorists-led” ministry.

Obrat o 180 stupňů

Vedení většiny trasy Městského okruhu tunelem už podle MŽP tedy nemá vliv na životní prostředí, zároveň není potřeba řešit dosavadní podmínky, například ty, které požadují regulaci dopravy v centru města či realizaci vnějšího Pražského okruhu dříve, než bude Městský okruh zprovozněn.

Právě tyto podmínky pro další rozvoj města i předejití zaplnění okolí stavby auty vlivem dopravní indukce považujeme za zásadní. Proto jsme v posledním řízení požadovali:

• zahrnutí dalších připravovaných dopravních záměrů v Praze i Středočeském kraji,
• posouzení variant s dopravní regulací uvnitř Městského okruhu,
• zachování klíčových podmínek z původního stanoviska EIA, včetně regulace dopravy a realizace vnějšího okruhu.

A dále například:

• zapracování nových evropských limitů pro kvalitu ovzduší po roce 2030,
• zohlednění nejnovějších měření kvality ovzduší v Praze (např. v ulici V Holešovičkách),
• přepracování rozptylové a hlukové studie s doplněním vlivu indukované dopravy.

Posuzovatelé však konstatovali,  že tato opatření nejsou potřeba. I tak budeme celý projekt, který má vyjít daňové poplatníky na min. 100 miliard korun, nadále sledovat. Stejně jako realizaci opatření spojených s existující částí okruhu, která pro udržitelný rozvoj Prahy dlouhodobě prosazujeme.

A 180-degree turn

According to the Ministry of the Environment, putting most of the City Ring Road underground therefore no longer has any impact on the environment. At the same time, there is no longer any need to address the existing conditions, including those requiring traffic regulation in the city centre or the completion of Prague’s Outer Ring Road before the City Ring Road is opened.

We consider these conditions essential both for the city’s future development and for preventing the area around the new road from becoming clogged with cars as a result of induced traffic. That is why, in the most recent procedure, we called for:

• including other planned transport projects in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region;
• assessing options that include traffic regulation within the City Ring Road;
• retaining the key conditions from the original EIA statement, including traffic regulation and the completion of the Outer Ring Road.

We also called for, among other things:

• incorporating the new European air-quality limits that will apply after 2030;
• taking into account the latest air-quality measurements in Prague, including those from V Holešovičkách;
• revising the air-pollution dispersion and noise studies to include the impact of induced traffic.

However, the assessors concluded that these measures are not necessary. We will nevertheless continue to monitor the entire project, which is expected to cost taxpayers at least CZK 100 billion, as well as the implementation of measures relating to the existing section of the ring road that we have long been advocating as essential for Prague’s sustainable development.

Read more in our article https://auto-mat.cz/42223/deset-let-s-blankou-doprava-v-praze-je-prehlcena-potrebnych-opatreni-vznikla-jen-tretina

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