A pilot project has been running on the D3 motorway in South Bohemia for two months: for the first time, cars are permitted to travel at up to 150 km/h there under certain conditions. A dynamic traffic management system continuously adjusts the permitted speed according to weather and traffic conditions.
For the past two months, a maximum speed of up to 150 kilometres per hour has applied on a selected section of the D3 motorway in South Bohemia, between the junctions Planá nad Lužnicí (Exit 84) and Úsilné (Exit 131). The Ministry of Transport is testing a system with dynamic traffic signs that can be adjusted according to weather and traffic conditions.
At present, however, the 150 km/h limit is not frequently permitted: due to poor weather with fog and rain, the variable displays are usually set to 130 km/h. Higher speeds were allowed at the beginning of autumn. “In the first month of operation, that is in October, the 150 km/h limit was activated on 21 days,” says Jan Rýdl, spokesperson for the Ředitelství silnic a dálnic, speaking to the news channel ČT24.
Police: Only a few violations per day
Because of the poor weather, the police have recently focused on checking vignettes. Precise figures on speeding offences are not yet available, but according to the officers, the majority of drivers comply with the rules. Only a few traffic offences are recorded each day during checks.
Some drivers are unsure how to interpret the dynamic displays. The grey indication means that the 150 km/h limit is deactivated: the regular maximum speed of 130 km/h applies.
The pilot project, which began at the start of October, is expected to run for at least six months. Afterwards, the Ministry will evaluate the collected data – including feedback from drivers and the police – and decide whether the model can be extended to other modern motorway sections.
The increase of the maximum speed on selected motorway sections was made possible by an amendment to the law from 2023. The last time the speed limit on Czech motorways was increased was 28 years ago. In 1997, the permitted maximum speed was raised from 120 to 130 kilometres per hour.
