The A8 near Munich, the autobahn around Innsbruck or the A7 to the Fernpass are places that many winter sports enthusiasts will recognize as classic bottlenecks. There is a good chance that there will be traffic jams again this weekend in the snow. The ANWB expects it will be busy on the roads to and from the winter sports areas next weekend.
France, Germany and Austria are the most popular winter sports destinations. In Northern Italy, holidaymakers may also have to deal with extra traffic due to the Winter Olympics. These last until February 22.
From A to B at the same time
“Many holidaymakers are on the road at the same time this weekend, which will lead to full roads and extra travel time,” said the ANWB traffic information service. Next weekend, spring break ends for the Central and South regions, while it just starts for the North region. The ANWB expects ‘connections to the roads to and from well-known ski resorts’, especially on Saturdays.
But can you escape that now? Well, not really, says Tim Schaap of the ANWB. “We just want to get from A to B with a lot of people at the same time. And that inevitably leads to busy points on the route. There are often no alternatives. We always strongly advise against driving inland, for example. Stay on the major highways, which are best designed to handle the peak traffic.”
Accept that you will be delayed at times and keep a close eye on traffic information during the route, is his motto. Yet there is one tip he can give road users.
“Many people still think that leaving early helps to avoid traffic jams, but that is not true. At the end of the afternoon you end up in the crowds in the winter sports countries where everyone goes. That is why our advice is to have a leisurely breakfast and not drive until around noon. The chance that the traffic jams will have cleared up by the time you get there is greater.”
