The total number of motor vehicles registered within Prague increased dramatically up until 1999, after which the growth slowed. As of the end of 2020 there was one registered passenger automobile per 1.4 inhabitants.

According to the available source materials, in spring 2020 there was a drop in transport to roughly half the level of previous years. In autumn the decline was smaller, around 30 % lower than the standard traffic levels. The growth in IAT at the expense of MT during spring 2020 can be tied to concerns about travelling by mass transport, the overall lower volume of traffic in Prague transport, and the elimination of fee collection for the use of parking zones in the whole capital city. During the autumn, collection of these fees was not suspended and the overall volume of traffic likewise did not see as marked a decline compared to standard levels. The fact that the population was less concerned about travelling by MT also had an influence.

Over the course of 2020, the share of bicycle traffic also increased, but this change did not lead to a significant change in the overall modal split values. Only in certain monitored weeks did it probably cross the threshold of two percent.

The introduced restrictions were also felt in public transport. A detailed description of the development of supply and demand in public transport and a summary of the measures applied in MT is contained in Chapter 4.8. The coronavirus epidemic was also reflected in the majority of indicators in specific transport areas for 2020 provided cross-sectionally in the following chapters.

Development of car ownership

Note: In 2003–2007 the administrator for Prague data on the number of vehicles used a different algorithm that produced lower values. In 2012 the data were taken over by the central register of the Czech Ministry of Transport.

The City of Prague occupies a unique position in automobile transport in the Czech Republic, which manifests in the exceptionally high traffic intensity and volume in comparison with other Czech cities or with motorways and roads in rural areas.

All data on traffic volume apply to the period from 0:00-24:00 of an average workday. All data on automobile traffic exclude municipal public transport buses.

The base aggregated indicator for the development of automobile traffic in Prague is traffic volume (vehicle kilometres travelled) on the whole road network, which has been monitored since 1978.

In the period of 0:00-24:00 of an average workday for the year, motor vehicles drove in 2020 21.482 million VKT in all of Prague. Of this amount, passenger cars accounted for 19.534 million VKT, or 91 %.

Automobile traffic volume in Prague (whole road network, avg. workday, 0:00-24:00)
Year	Motor vehicles total		Passenger automobiles automobily		Passenger automobiles as percentage of total traffic volume (%)
	millions of VKT	%	millions of VKT	%
1961	2.273*	31	1.273*	23	56
1971	5.061*	69	3.543*	65	70
1981	5.562	76	4.338	79	78
1990	7.293	100	5.848	100	80
2000	16.641	228	15.131	259	91
2010	22.205	304	20.435	349	92
2017	23.043	316	21.062	360	91
2018	23.006	315	20.977	359	91
2019	23.356	320	21.315	364	91
2020	21.482	295	19.534	334	91

100 % = year 1990
* Estimate based on traffic volume trends at cordons (traffic volume in Prague only monitored since 1978)

Development of automobile traffic volume in Prague (whole road network, avg. workday 0:00-24:00)

Alongside this data, another method of determining trends in Prague’s automobile traffic is “cordon monitoring”, meaning periodic traffic counts at sites that form a connected cordon of important entrance roads into the designated zone. The development of inner-city traffic is monitored at the “central cordon”, while peripheral traffic is monitored at the “outer cordon”.

Greater city centre – central cordon

Based on the counts made at the central cordon, which measures two-way traffic volume at the entry points to the greater city centre, delineated roughly at Petřín in the west, Letná in the north, Riegrovy sady in the east and Vyšehrad in the south (with the Strahov and Mrázovka tunnels lying outside the central cordon). Because of the restrictions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, counts on cordon took place only in one third of the usual number of locations.

Outer zone of the city – outer cordon

Based on counts done at the outer cordon, which expresses the volume of traffic at the entrances from the main roads and motorways into the continually settled area of the city, over the 24 hours of an average workday 309 000 vehicles entered Prague (single-direction) across the boundary of the outer cordon, of which 272 000 were passenger cars. Compared to the previous year this was an decrease of 10.3 %.

* Based on the Coronavirus pandemic, counts on cordon took place only in one third of the usual number of locations.
100 % = year 1990

Development of traffic volume at cordons in Prague (avg. workday, both directions total 0:00-24:00)

Data on traffic volume on various segments of the monitored road network in Prague for 2020 are available in table form on the TSK website in the section “Transport Engineering” and in graphic form on the inside cover of the yearbook.

Prague road network segments with heaviest traffic in 2020
	Segment	Total vehicles per day (0:00-24:00)
1.	Barrandovský most	134  000
2.	Jižní spojka (5. května – Vídeňská)	122  000
3.	Strakonická ulice (Dobříšská – Barrandovský most)	122  000
4.	Jižní spojka (Chodovská – V korytech)	118  000
5.	Jižní spojka v úseku Sulická – Braník	111  000

Heaviest bridges across Vltava and Prague road netw. tunnels with heaviest traffic in 2020
	Bridge	Total vehicles per day (0:00-24:00)		Tunnel	Total vehicles per day (0:00-24:00)
1.	Barrandovský most	134  000	1.	Dejvický tunel	89  000
2.	Hlávkův most	69  000	2.	Brusnický tunel	87  000
3.	most Barikádníků	58  000	3.	Zlíchovský tunel	87  000
4.	Radotínský most	54  000	4.	Bubenečský tunel	82  000
5.	Jiráskův most	40  000	5.	Strahovský tunel	79  000

Development of traffic volume in Prague and Czech Republic (average workday)

Average occupancy of Passenger automobiles (persons per vehicle)
Year	Centre (central cordon)	Outer zone (outer cordon)	Prague total
1990	1.57	1.90	1.71
2000	1.37	1.49	1.44
2010	1.30	1.30	1.30
2019	1.30	1.30	1.30
2020	1.30	1.30	1.30

The modal share of traffic is dominated by passenger automobiles. In terms of territorial breakdown, the proportion of passenger vehicles increases toward the centre of the city. In 2020, this rate was 96 % at the central cordon, 88 % at the outer cordon and 91 % on average for the whole network.

Basic characteristics of daily variation of workday traffic volume in Prague (2019)

The listed data comes from 2019, the last year which was not influenced by the Coronavirus pandemic. The evolution of daily variations from 2020 is listed in chapter 2.

The majority of traffic volume for the whole day takes place during the daytime period (74 % for 6:00-18:00), with the period 6:00-22:00 accounting for approx. 91 %. After 19:00, traffic volume begins to drop off steeply and more or less uniformly until midnight. The morning peak is at 8:00-9:00; the afternoon peak hour is 16:00-17:00. The volume of the morning peak hour makes up 6.7 % of the total, the afternoon peak hour makes up 6.9 % of the total, with 100 % equalling the whole volume for 0:00-24:00 of an average workday. The difference between the peak hours and the noon sag is not very pronounced.

Daily variation of total automobile traffic (2019, Prague, whole network, workday)

Daily variation freight vehicles and buses, not incl. public buses (2019 Prague, whole network, workday)

Weekly variation (Prague, whole network, total vehicles)

Annual variation (Prague, whole network, total vehicles)