Facing a Parking Crisis, Prague City Plans to Tow Thousands More Cars

Starting next year, Prague City will significantly increase the number of vehicles towed from the streets.

According to Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), the number of towed cars is expected to jump from 12,000 in 2022 to 25,000 in 2025.

Prague faces a severe shortage of parking spaces, with more permits issued for blue zones than available spots. This leads residents and visitors alike to park illegally out of necessity.

Consequently, the chance of your car being towed for parking violations will rise considerably next year.

Prague City towed 68,000 cars in 2009, but the number dropped to 48,000 the following year and has remained relatively stable since.

The lowest figures were recorded in 2019 and 2022, with only 12,000 cars towed each year. However, this number is projected to more than double in 2025, reaching at least 25,000 towed vehicles, according to Hřib’s statement on X.

“If a driver cannot park properly, we will tow the car to the Services Administration lot,” Hřib stated on social media.

Zdeněk Lokaj, a traffic expert from the Czech Technical University, partially supports the increased towing. “It’s a step in the right direction, but we also need to enforce and increase fines for bad parking,” Lokaj told TN.cz.

Lokaj believes that minor penalties currently do little to deter illegal parking. Some drivers consider the occasional fine a minor inconvenience, paying it every few months without feeling any significant impact.

Navyšujeme počet odtahů! 🪝🚘

Až dosud počet odtahů klesal. Problém s nelegálním parkováním ale rozhodně nevymizel. Proto jsme navýšili roční minimální počet ročních odtahů na 25 000.

Je to jednoduché: Pokud si řidič není schopen řádně uklidit auto, uklidíme ho odtahovkou na… pic.twitter.com/vVTAdeBfEI

— Zdeněk Hřib (@ZdenekHrib) July 27, 2024

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