The hopes of paddlers and cyclists to legally have one or two beers have disappeared. MPs have rejected legislation that would have allowed cyclists on minor roads or cycle paths or people canoeing to have a small amount of alcohol in their blood. 89 of the 176 deputies voted to support drinking alcohol, but 101 votes were needed.

Members of the parliament approved the limit of 0.5 per mille for paddlers, but the Senate reestablished the law to add cyclists as well.

“Half a mille, this is no drunkenness”, said Věra Kovářová on Tuesday before the vote on the law. “Zero is nonsense, it’s unrealizable,” said her colleague Petr Pávek.

“We have strict laws, but we know they are not obeyed”, said ODS deputy Marek Benda.

“It’s been seventeen months since we submitted this law”, said Lukáš Bartoň, the author of the proposal to allow paddlers to have alcohol in their blood, just before the election. The result of the vote was disappointing for him.

According to the law, the limit of half per mille should apply to the person who leads.

Senators suggested that the exception of half per mille should also refer to cyclists on a cycle path, a local road or a third-class road. However, the head deputy of ANO, Jaroslav Faltýnek, rejected this. “I will vote to avoid this nonsense”, said Communist member of parliament Zdeněk Ondráček. The ČSSD deputy, Petr Dolínek, also opposed at the debate in the Chamber of Deputies.