Prohibition of overtaking trucks on almost the entire D1. The second stage of marking has begun

Restrictions on drivers of larger trucks and lorries extend to almost the entire D1 motorway between kilometers 21 and 210. Even this year, he has a similar ban on some sections of D2, D8 and D11.

The ban on overtaking for trucks over 3.5 tonnes on the vast majority of the D1 motorway between kilometers 21 and 210, announced a few months ago, comes into effect these days. On Saturday, road workers started installing permanent road markings that prohibit trucks – and not only them – from entering a lane other than the right lane, unless it is necessary to go around. Until now, the ban, determined by portable signs, applied between kilometers 90 and 112 and between kilometers 141 and 210.

Truck drivers can overtake slower colleagues only in sections with rising lanes – according to the Ministry of Transport, there are 28 km in the direction of Prague and 38 km in the direction of Brno – and also from the 210th kilometer onwards in the direction of Ostrava, if overtaking is not prohibited . However, a blanket ban, similar to the one between Mirošovice and Slavkov near Brno, is not planned there.

The ministry states that this year the ban on overtaking trucks will be extended to 3.-11. kilometer of highway D2, 0.–18. km of highway D11 and 0.–18. km of the D8 highway. For the other two highways, we assume the removal of sections with three traffic lanes, similar to the D1.

The ban is justified by an effort to improve the flow of traffic. However, it does not apply to buses, which, with their speed of 100 km/h – sometimes less uphill – also significantly limit the flow of other traffic, which usually travels at speeds of around 130 km/h.

According to the earlier statement of the spokesman Martin Felix, the association of carriers ČESMAD Bohemia does not agree with such a ban. “There are sections where you can see for several kilometers, there the ban is unnecessary,” Felix thinks.

According to him, a better solution would be “enter the 21st century” by means of variable traffic signs, which would display the prohibition of overtaking only if, for example, a catastrophic situation really threatened. It is not true that all trucks go at the same speed – a fully loaded rig with a weaker tractor will drive even up a slight hill more slowly than a semi-empty rig with a stronger tractor.

Variable road markings, according to an older press release from the Ministry of Transport, are planned – but on highways other than the D1, where an almost blanket ban is to remain. “ŘSD will examine the possibilities of expanding variable traffic markings on the highway network, so that we can also prohibit the entry of trucks into the left lane in other places in the event of calamities,” quoted the press release of the Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.