The first black Saturday of the year in France is less busy than expected. Traffic congestion reached a peak of 615 kilometers in traffic around noon, and the traffic on French roads has been decreasing since then. A year ago there was more traffic on this holiday.
It has “not gotten terribly out of hand yet,” says an ANWB spokesperson. “I think the French expected more crowds, but you’re still stuck on many roads for a few hours.” For example, at the beginning of the afternoon, holidaymakers were still “on the road for three hours longer” from Lyon to Spain.
Holiday traffic can also lead to delays in other countries, such as the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland. There, the crowds will cause a 45-minute delay in both directions on Saturday afternoon. “On other days there is sometimes a two-hour traffic jam, that’s not an issue now.”
It is also busy on the roads in the south of Germany. In its own country, the traffic service sees congestion on the A12 from Germany, but that does not lead to delays.
France has designated five black Saturdays for this summer, compared to two or three in previous years. Because the corona measures have been lifted and people are reluctant to fly, more people are expected to go on holiday by car, the ANWB explains.
The blackest Saturdays fall on July 30 and August 6. Then “a very large part of Europe” will go on holiday and many people will return. “That causes an enormous amount of delay,” says the ANWB spokesperson.
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