The Prague Post
http://www.aaaradiotaxi.cz/index.php?xSET=lang&xLANG=2
July 7th, 2008
Reader's SurveyNEW     Endowment Fund     Book of Lists ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Real Estate Prague Prague Rentals Prague Apartments Prague Art & Antiques

Home » Archives » News

Cities enforce public drinking ban

Alcohol-free zones could expand to Prague this summer

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 23rd, 2008 issue

Photo illustration by KURT VINION/The Prague Post
The introduction of no-drinking zones in certain public spaces has proved successful in several cities to limit drunken disorder.
enlarge
 Over the past several months, Czech cities have started banning public drinking in certain areas of their municipalities — and now Prague appears poised to follow suit.
At least four cities, starting with Ústí nad Labem in north Bohemia and including Mladá Boleslav in central Bohemia, have banned alcohol consumption in areas near residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, train stations and historical centers.
Citywide bans were impossible to implement after having been deemed an infringement on basic human rights by the Constitutional Court. However, in July 2007, Ústí nad Labem found a way to establish a number of alcohol-free zones within its city limits.
Several cities quickly followed suit and a similar plan is now being developed for Prague. “We expect such an ordinance to come into effect in July this year,” said Eva Novaková, director of the Trades and Civil Law Department at Prague City Hall.
Drinking could be described as a national sport in the Czech Republic, with many bars serving even underage customers. Dealing with drunks has been a Sisyphean task, and, unless they committed a crime while drunk, they were impossible to punish.
“We had a problem with homeless people who’d get drunk in the morning and harass people” said Václav Groulík, spokesman for the city of Ústí nad Labem. “They’d cuss, get in the way, urinate in public and in general disgust people with their actions, looks, clothes and smell.”  Seeking to prevent such behavior, the city banned public drinking in areas favored by the local drunkards and around public buildings. “The drunks were setting a bad example for children. That had to be stopped,” Groulík said.
Visitors to cities with new alcohol-free zones need not fear breaking the ordinance unwittingly. “For the first offense, we will only warn perpetrators. If we catch them repeatedly though, they could be fined up to 1,000 Kč [$64],” Groulík explained.
Since the Ústí nad Labem ordinance came into effect, approximately 400 perpetrators, mostly homeless people, have been caught and either reprimanded or fined. So far, no tourists have suffered as a result of the ordinance. “We’ve had only positive feedback from citizens as well as visitors and we are very happy with this new measure,” Groulík concluded.
Following the success of Ústí nad Labem, it seems a similar attitude in the fight against public drinking is being adopted in other cities as well.
“We had tried to ban public drinking of alcohol several times but never succeeded. This was a great step in reducing the number of drunks who harass people,” said Pavel Šubrt, spokesman for Mladá Boleslav, where the ban took effect at the beginning of April and is already being enforced. Eighty people were cautioned in the first week, and 35 others in the second. Twenty-five people have already been fined for repeated offenses. “The effect is clearly visible,” said Šubrt. “There are definitely fewer drunks on our streets.”
Mladá Boleslav modified Ústí nad Labem’s ban template only slightly to fit local needs. Aware of the new crusade against alcohol, other interested city councils have been calling Mladá Boleslav for guidance and suggestions in implementing their own bans.
A capital idea
Now Prague is getting in on the ban as well.
“We have a duty to preserve public order, which is hard in certain areas due to alcohol consumption,” Novaková said. “Based on experience elsewhere, we see this as a perfect window of opportunity.” The concept of the ordinance is ready and councilors are currently looking at different places where the ban could and should be implemented. It is expected to be passed in time for July implementation.
As in other cities, the ban is not designed to prevent residents and visitors from enjoying an evening in a pub with friends, but to cut down on notorious drunks harassing law-abiding people. Pubs will not be affected by the ban even if they have seats outside on the street as is the case with many such establishments in the historical center — their gardens are not considered public space but an integral part of the pubs.
Prague officials are not concerned about a reduction of tourists, many of which — especially younger travelers — are known to come to enjoy the cheap drinks.
“The intention of the ordinance is to create a cleaner, healthier and friendlier environment for everyone,” Novaková said. “It can only serve to promote Prague as a tourist destination.”

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at news@praguepost.com


survey banner


Other articles in News (23/04/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Book of Lists

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.