According to the Czech Republic’s Directorate of Roads and Highways (ŘSD), there are 3,185 lorry parking spaces available in the country. Another 236 are set to be built.
“In recent years, the ŘSD started to solve the problem with a serious analysis, and today there are already results of this, with more places. Unfortunately, even the expensively built 100 places per year will solve the problem in 20 years.”
Felix added that the construction of lorry parks is often hindered by planning red-tape as well as nimbyism from local councils and residents.
The haulage association spokesperson also believes the shortage to be exacerbated by weekend and holiday truck bans. A bid to have some truck bans loosened earlier this year has failed, hence the problem has persisted.
In addition to the 236 truck parking spaces currently under construction on the D3, D4 and D6 motorways, another 43 rest stops with a combined capacity of 1,736 places is planned in the long term.
One example of this is a plan for a rest stop near Vyškovo on the D1 highway. It is designed to accommodate 173 trucks on both sides of the road and is expected to be ready in 2026.
The lack of spaces is leading to some truckers taking chances by parking illegally. This can nonetheless result in fines costing between CZK 2,000 (€83) and CZK 2,500 (€104).
“An improperly parked truck on the highway is a great risk and a potential danger for causing a traffic accident with tragic consequences. That is why you cannot expect any great deal of tolerance when such illegal actions are dealt with by the police,” said police spokesperson Hana Rubášová, as quoted by the Czech media.
Photo: ŠJů, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons