On the roads to popular holiday destinations, it is quite busy on Saturday. This is not only due to the usual holiday rush, but also due to work and bad weather in the Alpine countries.
It is always busy on European roads on a Saturday during the holiday period, says a spokesperson for the ANWB to NU.nl. “Parts of Germany are now getting time off and vacation. The Netherlands too, so it’s busier.”
The ANWB sees congestion and delays at all the usual busy spots in Europe. For example, there is an hour’s delay on the A7 between Lyon and Avignon on the famous Route du Soleil in France. South of the German city of Munich towards Austria, the journey takes more than an hour longer.
There is also bad weather in the Alpine countries on Saturday. In Austria, the states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg are particularly affected by heavy rainfall. In Switzerland, it concerns the northeast of the country. The weather services expect up to 250 millimeters of rain on Saturday. It will continue to rain on Sunday and the days after.
That weather causes significant delays, says the ANWB spokesperson. For example, around noon there is at least 2.5 hours of delay at the Swiss Gotthard Tunnel, which is mainly used by people traveling to Italy. There is also an hour’s delay at the Brenner Pass, a mountain pass on the border between Austria and Italy. This is due to holiday crowds, but also because work is being done on a viaduct.
Heavy rainfall in Croatia is also affecting traffic. There is an hour and a half of delay on the A1 between Zagreb and Karlovac. At the Karawanken Tunnel between Austria and Slovenia, the waiting time is an hour and a half in the eastbound direction and two hours in the other direction due to an accident.