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A man sits on the street during a traffic jam (symbolic image): Especially on Friday afternoon and Whit Monday, the streets are likely to be crowded

Photo: Mario Hommes / DeFodi Images / Getty Images

With the start of the Whitsun holidays in several federal states and the long weekend, there is a threat of traffic jams on many highways in Germany from Friday. According to the ADAC, the danger is particularly great in the south of the Federal Republic. The traffic club expects the strongest obstructions on Friday afternoon and Whit Monday, in the south also on Saturday morning. On the other hand, it is likely to be relatively quiet on the highways on Whit Sunday, 28 May.

The Friday before Pentecost is typically one of the busiest days of the year. In 2022, he was in third place.

One reason for the predicted traffic jams this year is that several federal states are starting longer Whitsun holidays. In Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria it is two weeks, in Rhineland-Palatinate one and a half and in Saarland one week.

The list of motorways and regions that are likely to be particularly polluted is long:

  • Accordingly, it includes the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich

  • the trunk roads to the North Sea and Baltic Sea as well as the major supra-regional motorways 1 to 9

  • In addition, the A10 Berliner Ring, A11 Berliner Ring – Dreieck Uckermark, A19 Dreieck Wittstock/Dosse – Rostock, A24 Berlin – Hamburg,

  • A61 Mönchengladbach – Koblenz – Ludwigshafen, A81 Stuttgart – Singen, A93 Inntaldreieck – Kufstein, A95 and B2 Munich – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, A96 Munich – Lindau and the A99 Munich bypass.

In addition, there are around 1304 construction sites on motorways, which additionally obstruct traffic. For example, the A45 between Hagen and Gießen will be closed for a short time between 10 a.m. and 16 p.m. on Whit Sunday.

This is what it looks like abroad

Traffic jams are also to be expected abroad on the typical routes. For example, on the Tauern, Inntal, Rheintal and Brenner motorways as well as the Gotthard route. A lot of patience is also needed on the highways to the Croatian coast, the ADAC said.

In Tyrol, for the first time this year, traffic jam alternative routes along the A12 Inntal motorway will be closed to through traffic on the long Whitsun weekend, specifically in the areas of Kufstein and Innsbruck. Travellers to and from Italy must therefore stay on the motorway even in the event of a traffic jam.

On the other hand, there is likely to be relaxation on the border with Denmark. Border controls were significantly eased in mid-May. Travelers from Germany would only be checked in exceptional cases, according to the ADAC.

How to behave correctly in traffic jams

Even if the traffic stops, an emergency lane must be formed, warns the ADAC. If you are driving in the left lane, you should then swerve to the left, while drivers in all other lanes should keep to the right. In narrow areas of the construction site, where it is not possible to take evasive action, you should drive in a staggered manner with sufficient distance. In an emergency, drivers can quickly switch to the right-hand lane when an ambulance approaches.

koe/dpa