Prague 1 Prohibits Night Entry to Part of the Old Town

Entry to a significant part of Prague’s Old Town has been prohibited starting 24th of November 2023. The Prague 1 City Hall has decided to implement traffic changes to protect residents. Prohibition signs with additional tags have been placed on Pařížská, Dlouhá, Rybná, Břehová, and Kozí streets.

“The aim of the proposal is to maintain a calm and safe environment for residents’ well-being, environmental protection, and overall quality of life,” stated in the proposal’s justification. This restriction, scheduled from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, prohibits entry and passage to the area defined by Dvořákové nábřeží, Pařížská, and Revoluční streets.

The signs are accompanied by additional plates displaying the time and a note stating “excluding traffic services.”

According to the implementing regulation of traffic rules on roads, traffic services refer to “vehicles providing supplies or medical, repair, maintenance, municipal, and similar services, vehicles transporting severely disabled individuals, taxi service vehicles, and vehicles where drivers, operators, or transported individuals have their residence, accommodation, headquarters, or property behind the sign.”

According to Prague 1 spokesperson Karolína Šnejdarová, the night entry ban will take effect on Thursday, allowing both municipal police and regular police to stop drivers at night, verify compliance with traffic signs, and potentially request an explanation for entering the restricted area.

The spokesperson mentioned that in this area, there have been recurring incidents of “races” involving sports cars.

In the past, Prague 1 has previously attempted temporary closures, barring entry to Dlouhá and surrounding streets for non-residents during several weekends.