Residential areaPoland
4. Residential area
A residential area is a street or group of streets where housing and access to local properties are the main functions. Drivers should expect pedestrians, cyclists, children, parked vehicles and vehicles entering or leaving driveways.
Some countries identify particular residential areas with traffic signs and apply special low-speed and residential-area rules. The speed limit, pedestrian rights, parking rules and permitted road users therefore depend on local signs and regulations.
Wikimedia.org • Panek • CC BY-SA
How do people refer to a residential area in Poland?
The Polish term is strefa zamieszkania. It is a specially signposted residential-area category. A speed-limit zone alone is different.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 2(16), 11(5), 17, 20, 49; Signs 58
Start of a residential area.
English • Traffic sign D-40 • Residential area. Sign D-40 marks entry to a residential area. Sign D-41, End of the residential area, marks the exit.
Polski • D-40 • strefa zamieszkania. Znak D-40 „strefa zamieszkania” oznacza wjazd do strefy zamieszkania. Znak D-41 „koniec strefy zamieszkania” oznacza wyjazd ze strefy zamieszkania.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 58 ust. 1
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Szczepan • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-16. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • D-40, PDF page 44, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
End of the residential area.
English • Traffic sign D-41 • End of the residential area. Sign D-40, Residential area, marks entry to a residential area. Sign D-41 marks the exit.
Polski • D-41 • koniec strefy zamieszkania. Znak D-40 „strefa zamieszkania” oznacza wjazd do strefy zamieszkania. Znak D-41 „koniec strefy zamieszkania” oznacza wyjazd ze strefy zamieszkania.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 58 ust. 1
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Szczepan • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-16. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • D-41, PDF page 44, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
What speed limit applies in a residential area in Poland?
The maximum in the specially signposted category is 20 km/h. Lower speed may be necessary around pedestrians or children.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 2(16), 11(5), 17, 20, 49; Signs 58
What rights do pedestrians have in a signposted residential area in Poland?
Pedestrians may use the whole road width and have priority over vehicles. Drive so that people can move safely and do not assume that they must use a marked crossing.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 2(16), 11(5), 17, 20, 49; Signs 58
Where may I park in a residential area in Poland?
Parking is permitted only in places designated for it within the signed category. When leaving the area, the separate rule for joining traffic requires you to give way to other road users.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 2(16), 11(5), 17, 20, 49; Signs 58

Traffic rules
Poland