The traffic services warn of heavy traffic on European roads this weekend. France stands for black Saturday and the other holiday countries also turn deep red.
Especially in France, there is a good chance that you will be stuck in traffic next weekend. Last Saturday, waiting times were already quite long in many places. Up to four hours for those driving to Provence or the Spanish border. At its peak last Saturday, there were 871 kilometers of traffic jams. That is a lot, because last year France clocked up 872 kilometers of traffic jams on Black Saturday on the last weekend of July.
The greatest risk of delays is on the motorways around Paris, the A10 to Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast and the A6 and A7 to the Mediterranean. Alternative routes for the Autoroute du Soleil are the A75 (Clermont-Ferrand – Béziers) or in Dijon follow the A39 towards Geneva and then reconnect with the A7 near Lyon via the A42. There will probably be traffic jams on these routes too, but less heavy than on the Autoroute du Soleil. At the Mont-Blanc tunnel it is also very busy all summer in the direction of Italy. That will also be the case next weekend.
Germany
The situation in Germany is not much better, where every region now has a holiday, resulting in large crowds. Germany is one elongated ‘baustelle’, which leads to extra traffic jams on top of the traditional busy routes.
For example, according to the ANWB, the A8 Munich towards Salzburg will be closed between Traunstein/Siegsdorf-Oost and Anger from August 1 at 8 p.m. to August 2 at 5 a.m. A8 Salzburg to Munich is closed between Bad Reichenhall and Neukirchen from August 1, 8:00 PM to August 2, 5:00 AM.
In Germany, a driving ban for trucks on Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. is still in effect until the end of August, which should ease the traffic jams.
Austria
Austria will have to deal with many German tourists, whether on their way to Austria itself or to other popular holiday destinations such as Italy. Traditionally, traffic jams are expected at the Tauerntunnel and the Karawankentunnel, on the border with Slovenia.
Trucks are not allowed on the A12 (Inntal Autobahn) and the A13 (Brenner Autobahn) on Saturdays, which should dampen the biggest problems. Anyone who takes the Fern Pass towards Tyrol or heads towards the A22 in Italy to Bolzano must also take into account extra crowds.
In Tyrol, through holiday traffic is not allowed to leave the A12 in the areas of Kufstein, Reutte and Innsbruck from Saturday morning (7 a.m.) to Sunday evening (7 p.m.) in order to avoid traffic jams via an alternative route. The same applies to the A10 in Salzburg from Friday to Sunday. Travelers must therefore stay on the highway during traffic jams.
Switzerland
Switzerland is also a popular holiday destination and transit country. Switzerland also celebrates its national holiday on August 1, which means that many Swiss people go out for a long weekend. This local holiday traffic comes on top of the through holiday traffic. Traffic jams of more than two hours for the Gotthard tunnel towards the Italian border were no exception this summer. In the other direction, traffic jams will be less dramatic.