Paid entrance to the center of Prague: The coalition will start to act

“The problem is that trams are delayed in these places. The city was not built for today’s intensive car traffic, so we have to decide what we want there. Now we have a discussion within the coalition. Everything is only leading to such a discussion,” said Hřib. As soon as the trams start to be late in these places, it has an impact on their operation in other parts of the city as well, and it complicates the observance of timetables on several lines.

According to the deputy, the municipality therefore agreed with Praha 1 that they would try it out instead of a ban, charge entry to Malá Strana and Smetana embankment. The way it would work is that the driver would pay and then the camera would check their license plate as they entered. In the Czech Republic, according to Hřib, such a measure works in some cities, among them he mentioned Karlovy Vary, for example.

If the coalition reaches an agreement and the city approves the measure, according to Hřib, it will take about half a year to implement it. The measure should be in pilot mode for a year, and after its end the city and Prague 1 would evaluate it. Even before that, however, a comment procedure would take place, when other city districts would participate in the debate, sending suggestions and comments on the proposal. So far, it has only been pre-negotiated with the town halls, said Hřib.

The system of charging entrance fees to selected parts of Prague 1 is to be according to the earlier statements of the representatives of the city fully automatic and legally supposed to be based on the so-called local fee. Therefore, it will not be a toll, the introduction of which is currently not allowed by legislation. Earlier, Prague 1 councilor Vojtěch Ryvola (ANO) stated that, according to information from the Ministry of Transport, the earliest possible date for approval of the legal regulation enabling tolls is 2029.