Brno will open the reconstructed Mendlovo Square, facing criticism from some public transport passengers

Brno - Brno is preparing to ceremoniously open Mendlovo náměstí next week after nearly a year and a half of reconstruction costing 200 million crowns. The location is primarily one of the most significant transfer hubs between public transport lines. However, even before the opening, the design of the reconstruction is facing criticism, at least in online discussions, especially due to the 50-meter-long railing that separates the tram stop and the trolleybus stop. Workers were installing it this week at the last minute and dismantling the already laid pavement. The spokesperson for the city, Filip Poňuchálek, wrote to ČTK that the city is working to have the railing interrupted in two places to allow passage through it. He talks about "the coming days."

Passengers who are currently transferring from tram line 1 to trolleybus lines 25 and 26 or vice versa must cross at a single location, and during a quick transfer, they often have to walk a significantly longer route, when it would simply suffice to dash across the trolleybus stop road, which serves only public transport. According to Poňuchálek, the railing was imposed by the Railway Authority and the police, arguing for pedestrian safety. "We do not consider the railing in this place to be purposeful or suitable; we wanted it to be passable," said Jan Seitl, the transport director of the transport company, to ČTK. The architects who designed the square are also displeased. "The result is a tragedy. The railing should definitely not be there. I don’t understand why it is allowed elsewhere and not here,” stated Ondřej Chybík from the architectural studio Chybík + Krištof for MF DNES.

The situation is similar to that at the main train station, where a railing has also been in place for over five years at the police's request; people are instead walking through the tram tracks and roadway to get to the station hall. This spring, the city is preparing to remove the railing. Meanwhile, at the Česká junction, a transfer point operates without a single railing. The mayor of the Židenice district, Petr Kunc (Voice for Židenice), ironically commented that he thought, "it would be nice if the city of Brno also paid attention to the transfer hub at Stará osada and reconstructed it. I no longer think that."

The reconstruction of the square has also brought other traffic issues. While previously all lines from the Exhibition Grounds arrived via Hlinky, which cars were not allowed to enter, they now arrive in the main traffic flow along Veletržní street. Even during the reconstruction, it happened that public transport vehicles got stuck in traffic and waited for two to three green lights before reaching the stop, causing delays of several minutes. Thanks to the trolleybus stop, the situation has partially improved, but not for bus line 44, which stops in front of Albert and the transfer from it is more complicated than before. Because of this, a permanent change in traffic signage is now undergoing approval. "We should have a separate bus lane on Veletržní street," said Seitl.

The goal of the reconstruction was to simplify transfer links. "The reconstruction has improved the comfort of public transport stops, particularly in terms of accessibility, but also the capacity of individual stopping edges and the directional placement of individual stops," Poňuchálek stated. The number of stops has decreased from ten by one; some transfers are simpler, while others are more complicated, especially from bus line 44, where passengers have to wait until the pedestrian light turns green. Previously, passengers did not have to cross any traffic lights.

New shelters, which have the form of a square roof on a central column without walls and do not protect well against rain or at all against wind, have already received criticism. According to Poňuchálek, they were a compromise between the local government, architects, and designers.