TunnelPoland
13. Tunnel
A tunnel is a covered passage that carries a road through or beneath an obstacle such as a hill, mountain, building, waterway or another transport route. Road tunnels may contain one or more traffic lanes and can carry traffic in one or both directions.
Driving in a tunnel requires particular attention because visibility, available escape routes and space for avoiding hazards are limited. Drivers should follow the applicable lighting, speed, lane and following-distance rules and pay attention to emergency exits, traffic signals and variable-message signs.
Wikimedia.org • Panek • CC BY-SA
What should I check before entering a tunnel in Poland?
Read the entrance signs and keep the statutory tunnel spacing where it applies. Outside built-up areas, a tunnel longer than 500 m normally requires at least 50 m for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and buses, and 80 m for vehicle combinations and other vehicles, subject to signed changes.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 19(4)–(5), 20, 49, 51; Signs 56
Start of a tunnel.
English • Traffic sign D-37 • Tunnel. Sign D-37 marks entry to a tunnel. The exit is marked by D-38, End of tunnel.
Polski • D-37 • tunel. Znak D-37 „tunel” oznacza wjazd do tunelu. Wyjazd z tunelu jest oznaczony znakiem D-38 „koniec tunelu”.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 56 ust. 1
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
No machine-readable author provided. MStankie assumed (based on copyright claims). • 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-37, 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.
Does a tunnel sign in Poland set a universal speed limit?
No single speed can be read from the tunnel pictogram. Apply the road’s relevant limit and any permanent or electronic speed restriction, and drive more slowly when visibility, queues or another hazard require it.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 19(4)–(5), 20, 49, 51; Signs 56
Is every tunnel in Poland open to pedestrians and cyclists?
No. Check the road category and access signs before entering. A motorway tunnel, a vehicle-restricted tunnel and a purpose-built walking or cycling underpass have different access arrangements. Emergency evacuation routes do not establish ordinary public access.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 19(4)–(5), 20, 49, 51; Signs 56

Traffic rules
Poland