Traffic jams for early summer holidays 2018 – ADAC roads and Landesbetrieb NRW are waiting for long traffic jams

It is again this time: the summer holidays begin Friday in NRW, and many people are already packing their bags. But before the recovery is the arrival. By car, it means above all: stay calm. Because without traffic jams, driving in the sun can rarely be accomplished. "About 45% of all Germans like to go on holiday by car," says Thomas Müther of ADAC Nordrhein. This adds to the number of construction sites under construction for more than four days – 571 according to the ADAC nationwide. According to Susanne Schlenga of the Landesbetrieb Straßen NRW, 85 of them come from North Rhine-Westphalia. "The first holiday weekend, however, is abandoned on daily construction sites," promises Schlenga. In addition, trucks are not allowed to drive from 7 am to 8 pm on Saturdays until the end of August.

Peak Hours
Friday is particularly stucco-rich in time from 13 to 20 hours. Although the situation is more relaxed on weekends, the ADAC expert also sees bottlenecks here: Saturday between 11am and 6pm, Sunday from 2pm to 8pm. Those who are flexible should move on to another day of travel a week. Or drive at night.

Reservoirs in NRW

Particularly affected are the roads that lead to the coast, such as the A1, A31, A40, A57 and L1. A61. On the A1, especially in the areas around Dortmund / Unna, Osnabrück and Bremen with significant traffic jams can be expected. On the A3, we expect congestion throughout the section between Cologne and Oberhausen (in both directions) and from the Ruhr area to the Netherlands. In the Cologne metropolitan area, the A1, A3, A4 and A57 motorways are expected to face a tense traffic situation. Traveling to the Netherlands, it should be noted that the A61 is closed from Friday 21st to Monday at 5 am between Nettetal-West and the Grenzwald border towards Venlo. There are many other bottlenecks. The portal www.verkehr.nrw

In addition to the highways to the north, of course, the roads to the south are also affected. Traffic jams are expected on the A3 from Oberhausen to Passau, the A5 from Frankfurt to Basel, the A8 from Karlsruhe to Salzburg, the A9 from Berlin to Munich and the A & B. 39; A93 from Inntaldreieick to Kufstein.

Lines abroad

Even in neighboring countries, motorists need good nerves. The forced stops of a few hours are quite realistic. Problem areas also include the Tauern, Brenner and Gotthard routes as well as the roads leading to the Croatian coast. Motorists can access an individual traffic jam forecast with details of the exact time and time along the route via the ADAC route planner under maps.adac.de ("Situation" button). real-time traffic "). Use the time slider to set the scheduled start time.

Behavior in a traffic jam

"Do not change lanes, but instead build an escape route," says Schlenga. Vehicles in the left lane drive to the left, cars in the lane from right to right. This is provided in the Highway Code. He threatens fines of at least 200 euros and two points in Flensburg. The shoulder should remain free and should not be used until the next exit. Again, fines can be imposed. On the highway, it is also forbidden in traffic jams to get out of the vehicle. If traffic is interrupted for a long time, the police have the discretion not to pursue such violations. The overtaking on the right is only allowed if the traffic is on the left lane or does not exceed 60 km / h. When the traffic is stationary, you can drive right with a maximum of 20 km / h. Reversing or turning on the highway is also a taboo in the traffic, unless the police require it. Otherwise, a fine of up to 200 euros, two points and driving ban threaten.

Departure

Leaving the highway in a traffic jam and avoiding secondary roads rarely brings an advantage. "Because even the downstream transport network is quickly overloaded," says Schlenga. For example, the traffic light phases are not set to such a frequency. It makes sense to leave the highway after a congestion of more than ten kilometers. It is important to follow the recommendations of the traffic control centers. These inform motorists via electronic signs on the highway by bypass roads and regulate the influx.

In a good mood

Creativity is necessary to keep the family and oneself in a traffic jam. For example, like moderator James Corden, whose show "Carpool Karaoke" is on everyone's lips to sing together. As well: instead of listening to music on audio books or podcasts. Simple but effective: games that do not require any accessories, like watching, telling stories, forming word strings or riddles.

Traffic jams
In 2017, ADAC recorded more than 723,000 traffic jams on German motorways, total length: 1.45 million kilometers. Upper Bavaria has been the most southerly transit country: about 11 per cent of traffic jams and congestion related to the popular tourist region.