Hefty Traffic Holds Up Southwestern Roads over Holiday Weekend
Heavier traffic anticipated on southwestern roads as the vacation nears its end - Southwest streets will be overflowing by the holiday's conclusion.
Heads up, drivers in Baden-Württemberg! Expect a pile-up of cars around Corpus Christi and the end of the Whitsun holidays. According to ADAC Württemberg, the motorways going north will see a surge in traffic, as people flock for short trips during the long weekend. And as the two-week Whitsun holidays in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria come to an end on Sunday, the roads will be choked.
ADAC warns about traffic congestion when holiday-goers return home, particularly on Sunday afternoon. Corpus Christi itself should be less hectic, as many short-timers will depart on Wednesday afternoon, says ADAC expert Holger Bach.
ADAC Tips: Travel off-peak or on the holiday
Bach suggests that drivers with flexible schedules should travel on Thursday to evade the heaviest traffic. For weekend commuters, he advises to hit the road before 8:00 AM and after 6:00 PM to avoid the peak hours.
The routes to dodge:
- A5 (Basel - Karlsruhe - Heidelberg)
- A6 (Nuremberg - Heilbronn - Mannheim)
- A7 (Füssen - Ulm - Würzburg)
- A8 (Munich - Stuttgart - Karlsruhe)
- A81 (Singen - Stuttgart - Heilbronn)
- Greater Stuttgart area
Construction zones slow down the flow, and the A8 near Pforzheim and an area on the A6 between the Walldorf interchange and Wiesloch carry the most traffic jam potential. Last year, the holiday weekend ended with a staggering 416 kilometers of traffic jams in the state.
Foreign traffic jams expected too
In Austria and Switzerland, where Corpus Christi is also celebrated as a holiday, bottlenecks can be expected - for instance, on the Tauern and Brenner motorways and at the Gotthard tunnel. Given the expected summer heat, ADAC recommends taking adequate fluids, taking regular breaks, and never leaving children or pets in the car during the hot weather.
Remember to check local traffic reports, official websites, or the interactive roadworks map (www.baustellen-check.de) for updated information on traffic congestion and road works in Southwestern Germany during the holiday weekend. Be aware of potential weather-related traffic issues as well. Find more information here - although it doesn't pinpoint specific Southwestern Germany areas, you can still keep yourself informed.
- To ensure a smoother commute during the congestion, employers in Baden-Württemberg should consider implementing flexible work hours or telecommuting in their employment policy over the holiday weekend.
- The community policy in the affected regions should prioritize public transit, finance subsidies for carbon-neutral transportation methods like electric buses and trains, and ensure frequent services, particularly on routes leading away from major holiday destinations.
- As travelers face long delays on their return journeys, the industry should provide alternative accommodations, such as temporary lodging or extended hotel check-out times, to help offset the impact of the holiday weekend transportation disruptions on lifestyle and travel plans.
