Paid entry into Prague’s city center? Hřib explained who will be exempt from the charge.

It will take six months from approval to implementation, says the Deputy for Transport. However, political support within the coalition is uncertain.

Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) shared more details about the planned congestion charge for entering the center of Prague.

Drivers would likely have to pay around CZK 200 to pass through Karmelitská Street on the left bank of the Vltava and Smetanovo Embankment and Křižovnická Street on the right bank.

The fee would be paid through a mobile app, and cameras would check license plates upon entry. However, some drivers would be exempt from paying, Hřib explained during a debate organized by the Prague Chamber of Commerce.

“This concerns a very narrowly defined historic city center where cars share space with tram tracks. The problem is that when a tram gets stuck behind a line of cars, it causes delays in public transport, which lowers its quality and in turn makes it harder to encourage people to switch from cars to trams,” he said.

A total of eight tram lines pass through both of these key streets, including two backbone lines connecting large parts of the city and important metro stations. “This has a huge impact on the entire public transportation system, as data shows. It’s not that I have something against cars,” Hřib added.

Who Won’t Have to Pay?

Three types of drivers are expected to be exempt from the fee. Firstly, local residents. Secondly, those who are invited by a resident, including having a designated parking spot.

Thirdly, delivery drivers should not have to pay the entry fee. According to Hřib, in the future this system would work in such a way that drivers will use an app to enter the location where they are delivering goods, pay for parking limited to, for example, 15 or 20 minutes, and then leave again. Apart from the parking fee itself, they should no longer pay for entering the city center.

The final option is to pay the proposed 200 CZK, which would allow a driver to enter the center for one day. However, they would also have to deal with parking, which is set to undergo major reforms.

When Will Drivers Start Paying to Enter the Narrowest Part of Central Prague?
"From approval to implementation, it will take at least half a year," Hřib indicated.

However, introducing the entry fee in the current coalition will not be easy. The organizers from the Prague Chamber of Commerce invited to the debate the Chair of the Transport Committee Martin Sedeke (ODS), Prague 1 transport councilor Vojtěch Ryvola (ANO), and Prague 2 transport councilor Tomáš Halva (TOP 09).

According to Hřib, preliminary discussions have already taken place with the affected city districts, and talks within the Prague coalition are now supposed to follow.

Only after that would the city districts formally comment on the proposal that will emerge from coalition negotiations.

Other politicians, however, argue that discussions need to continue at the most basic level. "I’m rather skeptical that we’ll manage to push this through within the next six months," said Sedeke, an influential ODS representative. According to him, the individual city districts are not yet familiar with the fee plan.

He also said it would not be possible to introduce a toll for driving through the center while simultaneously restricting traffic on the Prague inner city highway (magistrála), which is another proposed transport measure. “I do not share the belief that by making life as difficult as possible for motorists, we will solve Prague's traffic flow problems,” noted the Transport Committee Chairman.

When the Ring Road is Finished

Prague 2 councilor Halva indirectly supported the idea that any new measures should wait until both of Prague’s ring roads are completed.

In contrast, according to Prague 1 councilor Ryvola, the ring roads likely won’t solve the problem. “We have a gem on both banks of the Vltava River and we treat it neglectfully. We should not have two major traffic routes running through the most beautiful part of the city,” he declared.

He also emphasized the need to find common ground with other city districts; otherwise, the Prague City Assembly will not approve the proposed traffic restrictions in the center.

According to Hřib, it is essential to find the political courage to implement a measure that has been discussed for decades. In his view, the ring roads will not improve traffic in the center.

“The vast majority of traffic in Prague is not transit but destination traffic. No ring road will help with that. Unfortunately, no ring road can turn destination traffic into transit traffic,” said the Deputy Mayor for Transport.

He added that expanding car traffic in other parts of the city will not improve traffic flow in the narrowest historical center. “You don’t cure obesity by loosening your belt,” Hřib concluded.

Author: Vojtěch Gavriněv

You can read the full article at seznamzpravy.cz (November 8.).