On Wednesday 10 June our councillor and the leader of the Holešovičky pro lidi association held a barbecue in Hercovka park. Sausages and frankfurters were grilled — and so was he, as a representative of the public who has spent four years on the opposition benches of the Prague 8 council.
The aim was to come directly among the people who live in Holešovičky, Rokoska and Troja. To talk to them about specific problems. To listen to their experience. And to collect reports that can be carried further into political work. And also to confirm Michal as the candidate for the council for Holešovičky, Rokoska and Troja in the next elections and, not least, to introduce our new candidate for mayor, Václav Stránský.
The weather held out for exactly as long as we needed. We managed to finish the grilling, go through the main topics and eat the excellent cakes prepared by four neighbouring families. Then a downpour of biblical proportions began and most of us scattered to safety. Those who did not make it in time had a hot shower at home and probably some medvědí mléko (a hot rum, honey and milk drink) as well.
That too is part of neighbourhood events.
Traffic on V Holešovičkách remains a problem
As expected, one of the strongest topics was traffic on V Holešovičkách.
People talked about noise, emissions, pedestrian safety, the constant traffic load and about why a solution to the problem is taking so long to move forward. For local residents this is not a technical debate about one street. It is an everyday reality that affects the quality of life of the whole neighbourhood.
Michal Trník recalled that he has long been drawing attention to the V Holešovičkách problem, both as a councillor and as the founder of the Holešovičky pro lidi association. This is not a one-off topic before an election. It is a problem that this part of Prague 8 has carried for years and one that needs clear pressure on the district, on Prague City Hall and on other responsible institutions. Today no such pressure comes from the Prague 8 town hall (ODS, ANO, Patrioti, Spolu pro Prahu 8). Holešovičky needs its own champion, who will replace the current establishment and push this issue everywhere.
Demolished villas and generic blocks of flats
There was also a big debate about how the character of Holešovičky and Rokoska is changing.
People pointed to the demolition of the original villas and their replacement with generic blocks of flats, often several storeys higher. This is not just a question of taste. It is a question of scale, of the relationship to the place and of the district's ability to protect the character of neighbourhoods that have their own history and their own urban logic.
Development in Prague 8 should not mean that the original structure of a neighbourhood is gradually replaced by anonymous building with no regard for its surroundings. New buildings can go up, but they have to respect the place they enter. And the district should be an active partner in this, not a passive bystander.
Libeňský most, Kuchyňka and roads like a tank range
Other topics came up as well, ones that show clearly how people see the everyday state of Prague 8.
There was talk of the halted works on Libeňský most and their impact on traffic. The repeatedly flooded underpass at Kuchyňka also came up — exactly the type of problem that makes ordinary journeys harder for people and at the same time gives the impression that nobody really wants to take it on.
And of course the roads came up too. In some places they look more like a tank range than a road in the capital city. For drivers it is unpleasant, for pedestrians and cyclists it is often dangerous, and for the district's overall image it is a disgrace.
There was no shortage of debate about the playground that has been missing from Park Dlážděnka for five years, or about the completely unregulated appearance of parcel lockers across Prague 8.
These are exactly the problems that, from an official's desk, often look like isolated details. But for the people who walk and drive past them every day, they build a very concrete picture of whether the town hall works.
How to replace an incompetent town hall
The debate naturally reached the political question too: how to replace a Prague 8 town hall that in our view has long failed to deliver results.
This is not a topic only for councillors or political groups. It is a practical question for everyone who is bothered by problems being put off for years, by public space falling into disrepair and by communication with residents that often comes late or not at all.
Prague 8 needs a leadership that has clear priorities, is able to see things through and does not treat individual neighbourhoods as items in a spreadsheet.
That is exactly why 8žije has its contacts for the individual neighbourhoods. They are people who know specific areas, talk to their neighbours and can turn local experience into political work. Michal Trník is the neighbourhood contact for Holešovičky, Rokoska and Troja — and meetings like this are exactly how local politics should work.
The issues map as a continuation of the debate
The barbecue was not an end in itself. It was part of 8žije's wider work with the issues map.
We launched it so that specific problems from the individual neighbourhoods do not get lost in conversations, comments or emails. We want to see them on a map, sort them by area and keep working with them. You can find it at 8zije.cz/podnety.
The reports from Hercovka will therefore be processed further. Some can be dealt with through interpellations and questions put to the town hall. Others will need to be raised with Prague City Hall, the road administrators or landowners.
What we are taking away from Hercovka
We are taking several clear things away from the meeting in Hercovka:
- traffic on V Holešovičkách remains a fundamental problem that cannot be put off any longer
- people want to protect the character of Holešovičky and Rokoska from insensitive development
- Libeňský most, the flooded underpass at Kuchyňka and the broken roads are specific problems that hit everyday life
- Park Dlážděnka cannot wait any longer for a children's playground
- Parcel lockers and where they are placed must have clear rules
- public space has to be dealt with continuously, not only when the embarrassment becomes too visible
- local people have specific knowledge that the town hall often fails to use
- if Prague 8 is to work better, repairing individual things is not enough — the way the town hall is run has to change
Prague 8 should be dealt with together with the people who live in it
The barbecue in Hercovka showed that neighbourhood debate makes sense. Not because one meeting could solve every problem. But because good local politics cannot be done without the people from the place itself.
Thank you to everyone who came and brought their experience, cakes, questions and patience with the weather.
As 8žije's neighbourhood contact for Holešovičky, Rokoska and Troja, Michal Trník will keep working with the reports and raising them at council meetings and in communication with the responsible institutions.
Prague 8 can do better. And it starts with specific problems no longer being overlooked.