On September 14, the Road and Motorway Administration Directorate (RSD) signed a contract with Kapsch Telematic Services for the delivery and operation of an additional 30 variable information signs, which will be installed by mid-2010 on the Czech motorways D1, D2 and D5. The order volume is CZK 950 million (€ 37.2 million), and the order also includes delivery of the system for calculation of driving times.

Kapsch has already equipped Czech motorways with a total of 46 such variable information signs – the most-heavily driven Czech motorway, the D1 between Prague and Brno, alone has 33 of these signs, which constantly inform drivers about the current traffic situation. Four additional signs are now being added to the D1, the D2 running to the Slovakian border will receive eight and the D5 motorway toward Pilsen will be equipped with 18 of these information signs. Kapsch will install four of the signs yet this year, and the remaining 26 will follow by mid-2010.

The expansion of the traffic information system, which makes a significant contribution to improving traffic safety on the heavily-driven motorways, has a volume of CZK 950 million (€ 37.2 million). This order value, which also includes operation of the system, will be shared equally by Kapsch TrafficCom and local partners.

The traffic information system serves for the collection of traffic data in conjunction with the electronic toll system, which was supplied to the Czech Republic by Kapsch TrafficCom and has been in successful operation since 1 January 2007. This traffic data is sent to the National Czech Traffic and Information Centre, which analyses the data and provides it to drivers on the motorways after analysis - either via the variable information signs delivered by Kapsch TrafficCom or via mobile phones, radio and navigation systems.

In the last week, the Czech Chamber of Deputies completed passage of a bill expanding the electronic toll collection to include all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes as of January 2010 and introducing an electronic road tax as of January 2011 – the current contract for the traffic information system is not associated with this in any way.