Germany has extended border controls. Columns are forming on the Czech side

Germany decided to maintain border controls with the Czech Republic and other countries. At night, Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed it with the premiers of the federal states, local media write. Germany resumed controls on October 16. The reason is supposed to be the ineffective guarding of the EU’s external borders. Controls also complicate transport in the Czech Republic. Columns of many kilometers are formed because of them. How long they will last is not yet clear.

Germany continues border controls, including at the border with the Czech Republic. Although they are random, for example on the D8 highway, queues of many kilometers form because of them. German police officers divert traffic to the first motorway rest stop in Germany in the direction of Dresden.

Mr. Radek, who repeatedly traveled this route with his truck, described to the TN.cz editors how closely these checks work. “Traffic from two lanes is diverted to that rest stop, which represents one delay, and the second is the random checks themselves, when when a police officer approaches the car, the entire barrage of vehicles stops completely for a few seconds. It seems like a moment, but it adds up gradually “, he claims.

In his and his colleagues’ experience, German law enforcement officers focus primarily on cars with Eastern European and Balkan brands. They also check buses, trucks and vans more often, on the contrary, they usually let cars pass freely.

But some also blame the long queues at the border on the Czech police, who are said to be unable to regulate traffic. For example, according to Mr. Tomáš, the closing of border tunnels creates columns artificially. “I drove through it on Monday morning. There are a minimum of cars on the German side, and on the Czech side there are ten-kilometer lines of trucks and cars,” he told TN.cz.

According to him, the delay at the border causes problems for Czech carriers. “Czech companies and Czech carriers then receive fines for late loading and unloading and failure to meet the deadline,” he complained further.

However, Czech police officers reject the blame for the delay at the border. It is said that these are necessary measures. “The closure of the Panenská tunnel is being carried out in cooperation with the Highway Administration for safety reasons and as part of cooperation with our colleagues in Germany. Cars are not allowed to park in the tunnel, therefore it is necessary to regulate traffic in this way,” explained Veronika Hyšplerová, spokeswoman for the Ústí police.

According to Mr. Radek, the columns can be completely avoided. “I usually drive at night, when there is less traffic and queues don’t form. And if possible, I prefer to drive through Hora Svatého Šébestián. It’s a detour, but the traffic is much smoother there,” he claims.

A member of the community of so-called commuters also confirms that significant delays only concern some transitions co-founder of a large Facebook group Commuters emergency information service Radek Falb. “For example, I drive through the Svatý Kříž or Pomezí border crossings in Chebsk, and random checks have been common there for a long time. Otherwise, I know from the experience of my colleagues that columns do form at the border with Germany, but they usually move relatively quickly, so it’s more of an inconvenience than a serious problem “, he says.

Germany extended the controls for the first time two weeks ago, even then announcing that it might not be the last extension. However, he no longer announces how long he expects the checks to last until he decides to cancel them.

According to Mr. Tomáš, traffic is complicated not only by the German but also by the Czech police:

kh, TN.cz