It will rain hard and hard during the afternoon, Jan Visser predicted this morning on NH Radio. Good news for nature, but for road users who want to go home on time, it is less pleasant.
Because Rijkswaterstaat expects a big evening rush hour due to the showers. “With rain everyone drives a lot quieter because of the poor visibility,” says the spokesperson. “That is important, but as a result, traffic jams arise faster.”
Now it is more busy on the road on Thursday evening. People often work at the office on Tuesday and Thursday and are more often free on Friday. “That ensures a lot of residential and working traffic,” the spokesperson said.
Friday even busier
Last year, the traffic jam was not too bad on Thursday evening for the Whitsun weekend. At that time there was 470 kilometers of traffic jams, about thirty kilometers more than on a regular thunder evening.
Rijkswaterstaat therefore expects that the real crowds can only be seen on Friday afternoon, partly because the NS trains do not run all day. Last year there was a total of 576 kilometers of traffic jams on the Friday before Pentecost. For comparison: on a normal Friday there is 367 kilometers.
Still, the showers can get stuck well tonight. Motorists must mainly take into account delays on the busy routes in the Randstad. There are also work in several places this weekend, such as on the A10 at the De Nieuwe Meer junction.
Go away sooner or later
The best tip to avoid the traffic jam tonight and tomorrow is, according to the spokesperson, not to drive. “Do not sit in the car at a punctual 5 p.m., but rather depart from the office and work at home. Or wait until the traffic jam is over, and leave at 6.30 p.m. and view the current traffic information.”