On the D3 between Planá nad Lužnicí and České Budějovice, drivers will in future be allowed to drive faster – but later than originally planned. The reason is a delay in the tender process for new traffic signs.
On the D3 motorway, drivers are expected to be allowed to travel at 150 km/h only from the beginning of October. Originally, the speed limit on the section between Planá nad Lužnicí (Tábor) and České Budějovice was due to be raised by the end of the summer holidays. However, the tender for the variable traffic signs was delayed. “There were issues with the procurement procedure – the submission deadline had to be extended due to numerous enquiries,” explained Radek Mátl, head of the Czech Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD), in an interview with news channel ČT24.
The variable traffic signs are currently still in production. According to the ŘSD, they are due to be installed by mid-September, with costs amounting to 55 million crowns.
Higher speeds will only be permitted under certain conditions. Factors such as weather and traffic density will play a role. The permitted speed will be shown via prismatic, rotating variable signs whose meaning can be changed by turning.
The Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) has already identified other motorway sections in the Czech Republic where the current maximum speed limit of 130 km/h could potentially be raised to 150 km/h. An increase could, for example, be implemented on the D1 between Přerov and Ostrava or on the D11 near Hradec Králové. However, the Road and Motorway Directorate intends first to analyse the results of the test phase on the D3 once the higher speed limit has been introduced.
The increase of the speed limit on selected motorway sections was made possible by an amendment to the law passed in 2023. The last time the speed limit on Czech motorways was raised was 28 years ago. In 1997, the permitted speed was increased from 120 to 130 kilometres per hour.
