Drivers in France are being warned of the possibility of heavy delays on the roads this weekend, as families continue to set off for holidays.
Official traffic information site Bison Futé has placed around half of France on a tier-three red alert for Friday (July 28), with the other half seeing a lesser, tier-two warning.
On Saturday (July 29) this rises to a red alert for the entire country. Some traffic jams could start as early as 04:00 as people flock to coastal destinations
Although these warnings are for roads primarily departing major cities, on Friday a tier-two warning for traffic entering large population areas is also in effect. On Saturday, the north-west of France could see heavy traffic on roads returning to Paris.
Friday jams from early morning
The heavy traffic on Friday is set to begin in the late morning, particularly leaving Paris on the A6 and A10 motorways.
In general, it is the west of France where traffic is expected to be worse, especially in popular holiday regions on the Atlantic coast, Brittany, and Normandy.
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By late afternoon, the jams will be exacerbated by commuters returning home, and Bison Futé say jams on some roads could last “into the night”.
The A10 between Paris and Bordeaux and the Mont Blanc tunnel are expected to see jams until 23:00. They are forecast to be most saturated between 13:00 and 17:00.
There will also be some traffic returning to major cities on Friday.
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The reverse route of the Mont Blanc tunnel (entering France from Italy) will see heavy traffic on Friday between 16:00 and 18:00.
Likewise, the A7 will see holidaymakers returning to Lyon from the Mediterranean for most of the afternoon, with traffic set to be at its peak between 15:00 and 17:00.
Credit: Bison Futé
Disruptions continue into Saturday
“Traffic will remain very heavy overnight on the North-South transit motorways,” said Bison Futé, with the earliest traffic jams beginning from 04:00 on the A10 leaving Paris, as some drivers try to beat the expected traffic.
From early Saturday morning, congestion is expected on several motorways, including the A7, A8, and A20
The Mont Blanc tunnel could be the worst hit, with Bison Futé predicting it will face saturation between 08:00 and 19:00.
There will also be some return journeys - those ending their July holidays - which could cause slight congestion on routes returning to major cities.
This will mostly be felt in the north west of the country for roads leading back to the capital.
Credit: Bison Futé
It pales in comparison to next weekend, however – Bison Futé is predicting a ‘black day’ for traffic on Saturday (August 5), and it is likely to be the busiest day of the year on the roads.
