Prague is building more bike routes. So why aren't more people cycling?

Prague's cycling network expanded last year, with more routes separated from traffic and a sharp increase in streets where cyclists can travel in both directions.

But cycling itself barely grew, and a cycling advocacy group says the city is still falling well short of its planned investment in bike infrastructure.

The city's marked cycling network now stretches for about 550 kilometers, according to data from the Technical Roads Administration (TSK). Of that total, 263 kilometers are separated from motor traffic, seven kilometers more than the previous year. 

The biggest change came in two-way cycling routes, which grew from 63 to 81 kilometers. These allow cyclists to travel in both directions on streets that remain one-way for cars, making them particularly useful for everyday trips through the city.

New two-way routes were added particularly in Prague 7 around Letná, Prague 5 in Barrandov, and Prague 6 around Na Petynce, Rozdělovská and Podbaba.

The city also added cycling infrastructure in areas including Kbely, Čakovice and Letňany, while new or expanded protected lanes appeared on streets including Poděbradská, Jankovcova and Pelléova.

Across the city, 18 kilometers of new two-way cycle paths and other routes separated from motor traffic were added during the year.

But more infrastructure has not yet translated into a major increase in cycling.

Automatic counters at 31 locations recorded around 5.6 million bicycle passages in 2025, roughly 1 percent fewer than the previous year.

After adjusting for counter failures and temporary route closures, TSK calculated that cycling traffic increased by 0.4 percent.

The busiest counter was at Vltavanů and U Kina in Modřany, where 578,016 bicycle passages were recorded during the year.

Another major cycling corridor runs along Povltavská south of Troja Castle, with 540,656 passages. Together, the figures underline the importance of the Vltava corridor for cycling, particularly around Modřany and Troja.

The biggest year-on-year increase was recorded on Barrandov Bridge, following the completion of its more than two-year reconstruction. August was the busiest month for cycling.

Cycling advocacy group AutoMat said in February that Prague was spending far less on cycling infrastructure than planned. Its analysis of the city's cycling action plan found that Prague had allocated about CZK 148 million for cycling infrastructure in 2025, but spent only around CZK 90 million. The proposed 2026 budget allocated another CZK 98 million.

AutoMat said the amount spent represented only about one-third of the CZK 620 million in cycling investment planned for 2025–26.

he group also pointed to delays in several priority projects, including planned routes connecting Pitkovice and Benice, Březiněves and Třeboradice, and Cholupice and Dolní Břežany, as well as cycling infrastructure in Letňany.

Prague's cycling map is getting bigger, but the relatively flat traffic figures suggest the network has yet to produce a major shift in how people get around the city.

For cyclists, the most noticeable changes may be the growing number of two-way routes and separated paths, particularly around Letná, Podbaba, Barrandov and the Vltava corridor.