Taxi Drivers Clog Prague Highway

Around 300 taxi drivers refuse to move from Wilsonova until they’re met by City Hall

Dave Park

Written by Dave Park Published on 08.02.2016 10:35:17 (updated on 08.02.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

Update: the demonstration officially ended at 13:00, though the drivers were never met by a City Hall representative. 

If you are going to be driving through the center of Prague today, expect to encounter heavy traffic in and around Wilsonova at the top of Wenceslas Square.

The traffic is due to a protest by local taxi drivers, who are demonstrating against regulations from the city of Prague that include a maximum fare per kilometer and mandatory foreign language exams, as well as “alternative taxi services” (read: Uber).

The taxis, estimated to be around 300 in number, are currently taking up two of the three lanes on Prague’s main highway. They’ve been there since about 03:00 this morning.

According to CT24, the drivers “do not intend to leave the expressway until someone comes from City Hall.”

City Hall, however, doesn’t appear to be eager to negotiate with the drivers. Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová described their actions as “blackmail” in a released statement.

On-site police are currently directing traffic down the single lanes on Wilsonova.

“We ask drivers to refrain from any emotions and drive the stretch as seamless as possible,” police spokesperson Tomáš Hulan told iDnes.cz.

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