– Traffic is increasing. It started around 11.30, and it is difficult to say how long it will last throughout the day, says traffic operator Kristin Våsjø in the Southern Traffic Center to NTB.
In some places, the car journey can be longer than usual, according to Våsjø. Both on the E18 at Drammen in Buskerud and at Langangen in Telemark there is a slow queue on Thursday afternoon. Most of the traffic goes towards Sørlandet.
– Drammen has a ten-minute delay and a slow queue, and a 30-minute delay in Langangen, says Våsjø, which encourages road users to avoid dangerous overtaking and focus on the traffic.
Going on a trip to Sweden
There are also a good number of cars on the roads in the Oslo area on Thursday. The biggest traffic is towards the Swedish border.
– So far, most of the traffic is in the direction of Svinesund. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the shops are closed here in Norway, but open in Sweden. And then of course many people prepare camping sites for the summer, says traffic operator Barbro Evensen Venhagen in the Vegtrafikksentralen east to NTB.
– There are a good number of cars on the road, but good traffic flow, except for a few car accidents on the E6 in Østfold and north of Oslo, which has caused some congestion, she says.
Several fell asleep
Venhagen advises passengers to relax when driving.
– We have seen some cases where people have fallen asleep while driving today, that is not good. Relax and keep a good pace on the road, it can’t be repeated often enough, she says.
But the fact that these May weekends are busy is nothing new for the road traffic centre.
– It is common for the weekend with Friday squeezed in to be a departure weekend. Maybe next weekend will also be May 17 and Pentecost, says Våsjø.
– We expect additional traffic to the south on these spring weekends.
(© NTB)
2024-05-09 12:54:30
#Big #departure #day #traffic #queues #Sørlandet
