Praguers are complaining about the beer bikes, special vehicles driving through the historical centre with tapped beer served aboard up to 15 people who are “cycling,” and the City Hall is considering banning this.
According to Jan Wolf of City Council, “at the moment, one of the possible solutions seems to me to ban this mode of operation in places where there is a ban on alcohol consumption in public areas. This solution would be accompanied by a simple enforcement by the Municipal Police”.
Now Prague 1 has support from Prague City Hall and it has also responded positively to a proposal to deal with “visual smog” as Prague 1 calls the various Disneyland characters wandering around Old Town Square. Prague Councilor for Culture Helena Třeštíková said on Tuesday that City Hall is preparing a directive which would curb these commercial attractions in the center of Prague.
Marek Beneš, Deputy Chairman of Prague 1, agrees with the restriction of beer wheels. “This type of business is completely contrary to the interests of the population, the historical tradition and the spirit of old Prague,” he said. He added that similar issues should be addressed conceptually and therefore proposes the creation of a working group composed of representatives of Prague 1, the Municipality and the Chamber.
The implementation will be easier than the one for the Segway ban.“We will use existing signs that prohibit the entry of vehicles weighing over 3.5 tons or over six tons, to which we will attach a new label. This will save the city significantly,” said Prague 1 Councilor David Skála.
Two options are being considered. The first would ban the beer bikes in Old Town, New Town, Josefov, Malá Strana and Hradčany. The second option would also include areas outside of Prague 1 such as Bubeneč, Smíchov, and from Vyšehrad to Braník.
Beer bikes were already banned in Amsterdam in the autumn of 2017 based on a Netherlands’ court decision. In its verdict, the court justified the ban on the basis of transport complications, improper behaviour and crowded city centre.
Author: Lilato Madiri
