Prague is tightening the rules for the parking of emergency vehicles in paid parking zones. The new regulation aims to ensure that only vehicles that are genuinely needed benefit from parking exemptions and that abuse is prevented.
Prague is changing the rules for parking Integrated Rescue System (IRS) vehicles in paid parking zones. This is to ensure that only vehicles actively used to deal with crisis situations are authorised, and that the activities of the IRS are not unduly restricted. The new regulation also prevents the misuse of parking permits reserved for IRS emergency vehicles.
The Traffic Department of the Prague City Council will cancel the validity of parking permits for emergency vehicles operating within the territory of the capital. The regulation affects emergency vehicles of the Prague City Police, permanently marked vehicles of the Integrated Rescue System, and vehicles with the right of way equipped with a non-removable special warning light (beacon).
“This is the end of issuing parking permits to bigwigs and their friends. Only Integrated Rescue System vehicles that save lives every day deserve a parking exemption. MPs, family members of civil servants, or businesspeople will no longer be able to pretend to be rescue workers. The privileged special rights end today,” said Zdeněk Hřib, Deputy Mayor for Transport. The new regulation of parking permits is another step towards the fair and efficient use of public space for the benefit of all city residents.
The Ministry of Transport will prepare a draft amendment to the guidelines for the allocation of parking permits in paid zones for emergency vehicles of the Integrated Rescue System. In addition, a regulation will be developed for the allocation of transferable parking permits for the IRS. While the first regulation applies to permanently marked emergency vehicles with a sticker or beacon, the second concerns unmarked vehicles used by the Security Information Service or the Criminal Investigation Department, for example.
The current rules were introduced in 2017 when personal checks by city police officers were replaced by a mobile camera system. To simplify monitoring and make emergency vehicles recognisable to the camera system, they were included in the central information system for paid parking zones. This gave them the right to park in all paid parking zones.
