“If we stop the nursery rhymes, the children start crying.” This comment sent to franceinfo undoubtedly reflects a reality shared by many parents, Saturday August 13 on the roads, and in particular on the main axes of south-eastern France. Smart bison, who had classified “red” at the national level, the first day of this extended weekend recorded a peak in the accumulation of traffic jams at 11:55 a.m., with 911 kilometers of traffic jams, in particular on the A9, A75 and A7 motorways.
The traffic is “very difficult” on all major axes, in both directions. On this weekend, “we wait[ait] (…) many trips to take advantage of a long weekend” Assumption Day on August 15, explained the public road information service.
Bison smart announced especially “black” in the Mediterranean arc. “In this context of heavy traffic, motorists are advised to avoid driving on Saturday and postpone their journey to Sunday”, had recommended the public service. If this was impossible, it was then advisable to avoid taking the A7 between Orange and Marseille from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., as well as the A9 between Orange and Narbonne from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Traffic will be less dense for the rest of the weekend, with a “green” Sunday in both directions, except in the southeastern quarter of the country. Monday, August 15 – a public holiday – also promises to be fluid in both directions, except in Ile-de-France. Bison futé recommends crossing or returning to the Paris region before 2 p.m.
A peak of more than 1,000 km of traffic jams had been recorded at midday on Saturday of the second crossover weekend of the summer (August 6), a day classified as red for departures at national level and black in a broad southeast quarter.