Worst weekend on French roads
Millions of drivers choose to travel on the same day of the year - wait until Sunday if you can
DRIVERS have been strongly advised to put off travelling until Sunday to avoid the busiest day of the year on the French road network this Saturday.
The crossover of the juilletistes and aoûtiens (July and August holidaymakers) will see millions of people moving across the country over the weekend - either starting their holiday or returning home.
This Saturday is usually the only day of the year when traffic monitor Bison Futé issues its highest level of alert - black - meaning more than 600km of jams are forecast.
The national record is 842km, which was reported on August 4, 2007 and is the equivalent of one line of solid traffic running all the way from Paris to Toulon.
Delays will start this afternoon, especially on the main exit routes from big cities. Many drivers will attempt to travel overnight, but Bison Futé says congestion is likely at any time.
Trouble areas will include:
A10 south of Paris
A6 north of Lyon
A7 along the Rhône
Motorways along the Mediterranean
Main routes in Normandy and Brittany
Sunday will still be busy, but the alert level drops to "orange", meaning no more than 350km of jams nationwide.
