Prague is reforming its system of special parking rights: the city council has adopted clear rules to prevent misuse and eliminate privileges. In future, only emergency vehicles on verifiable duty will be entitled to such permits.
The city is drawing a line under questionable practices in the allocation of special parking rights. The newly adopted regulations aim to ensure greater transparency and fairness. The goal is to strictly limit access to special parking permits to those who genuinely require them for work in the public interest – such as emergency services, fire brigades or the police.
Previously, the criteria were ambiguous, and the system was frequently misused. There were repeated scandals involving individuals who were not on active duty – including civil servants, politicians and even their relatives – receiving permits. That is now a thing of the past. ‘The previous practice was unacceptable,’ says Zdeněk Hřib, Deputy Mayor and head of transport. ‘From now on, there are clear rules: those who truly have an emergency duty will be granted a permit – everyone else will not.’
Prague’s Mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, also underlines the shift: ‘Until now, there were no clear and understandable criteria for special parking rights. We are now creating a binding framework that prevents abuse and strengthens public trust in the administration.’
The new approach is a response to longstanding inconsistencies in the allocation of permits. In future, only vehicles with a visible emergency function – such as fixed markings and blue lights – will be automatically registered. Fixed limits will apply to unmarked vehicles used, for example, in network maintenance or with specific emergency authorisation. Responsibility for managing these permits will rest with the relevant institutions – including municipal companies such as Prague Waterworks, or national bodies like the National Security Authority and the Customs Administration.
What will change in concrete terms:
- Only clearly defined institutions – such as the police, fire brigade or utility providers – will receive permits for special parking rights.
- Transferable permits will be restricted to exceptions, such as for the protection of classified information.
- Politicians and civil servants without operational duties will lose any automatic entitlement.
- The system will be integrated into the digital monitoring of parking zones – thereby enabling technical prevention of misuse.
‘No one should be able to exploit their position or connections in future,’ said Hřib. A measure likely to resonate with many citizens – and a signal for greater integrity in city politics.
