In 2022, the Friday before Pentecost was the third busiest day of the year in Germany. Many roadways will be congested again this year. On Friday afternoon, there will be up to 570 kilometers of traffic bottlenecks on NRW's highways.
 |
| Traffic Jam in Berlin, Germany |
The ADAC, Germany's automobile association anticipates heavy traffic on NRW's highways throughout the long Pentecost weekend. "Because of the Monday public holiday, employees do not have to forego a day of vacation for a long weekend." "This makes Pentecost particularly appealing for a short family trip, such as to the German North and Baltic Sea coasts or the Netherlands," explains ADAC traffic expert Roman Suthold.
According to ADAC, considerable Pentecost travel traffic on North Rhine-Westphalia's motorways on Friday afternoon caused a "jam" with up to 570 kilometers of traffic delays at the same time. "There is more red than green on the map," stated an ADAC North Rhine official, characterizing the situation as "jammed."
The Kölner Ring (A1/A3/A4), the A1, A3, and the A40 are the primary locations of traffic interruption, as predicted. "Anyone who is now on the highways has to spend a lot of time and patience, and who needs good nerves," the spokesperson explained. With 570 kilometers of traffic bottlenecks at the same time soon before 4 p.m., Friday afternoon had a greater peak value than the Wednesday before the Ascension Day vacation. That is approximately 150 kilometers greater than the last round of travel.
Even on Saturday mornings, it may be packed. "Friday is once again an absolute test of patience due to the meeting of commuters and short vacationers," Suthold explains. In 2022, the Friday before Pentecost was the third busiest day of the year in the United States. Anyone planning to drive off on Friday should avoid at least the nighttime hours, according to the ADAC expert.
Traffic congestion in NRW involve the highways in the larger Cologne area and the Ruhr area, as they did over the Ascension Day weekend. The ADAC predicts delays on the A1 (Cologne-Dortmund-Bremen-Hamburg), A2 (Oberhausen-Dortmund-Hanover), and A3 (Emmerich-Oberhausen-Cologne-Frankfurt).
Drivers must constantly expect traffic congestion or slowdowns in portions on the whole Cologne ring route (A1/A3/A4). The ADAC also anticipates additional congestion on the A40 (Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Straelen - Venlo), A42 (Dortmund - Oberhausen - Kamp Lintfort), A43 (Wuppertal - Recklinghausen - Münster), A46 (Düsseldorf - Wuppertal), and A59 (Cologne - Bonn) in NRW. If the weather is pleasant, day trippers may cause delays on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, even off the highway.
Furthermore, there will be no school on Tuesday, May 30th in the federal states of Berlin, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Vacations begin with two weeks in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, and one and a half or one week in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. As a result, the risk of traffic bottlenecks is especially significant not only in the direction of Germany's beaches, but also in the country's south.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, ADAC traffic consultants will be on the roads with their bikes on Friday and Whit Monday. They soothe irritated tourists, assist with trip planning, explain the rescue path, and provide refreshments and toys to youngsters to make the wait more comfortable.
The highways most likely to see traffic congestion throughout the long Pentecost weekend:
Highways to the North and Baltic Seas
Greater Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich areas
A1/A3/A4 Cologne Ring
A1 Cologne - Dortmund - Bremen - Hamburg - Lübeck
A2 Oberhausen - Dortmund - Hanover - Berlin
A3 Emmerich - Oberhausen - Cologne - Frankfurt - Würzburg - Nuremberg
A4 Kirchheim triangle - Erfurt - Dresden
A5 Hattenbacher Dreieck - Frankfurt - Karlsruhe - Basel
A6 Kaiserslautern - Mannheim - Heilbronn - Nuremberg
A7 Hamburg - Hanover and Würzburg - Füssen/Reutte
A7 Hamburg - Flensburg
A8 Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich - Salzburg
A9 Munich - Nuremberg - Berlin
A10 Berlin Ring
A11 Berliner Ring - Dreieck Uckermark
A19 interchange Wittstock/Dosse - Rostock
A24 Berlin - Hamburg
A40 Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Straelen - Venlo
A42 Dortmund - Oberhausen - Kamp Lintfort
A43 Wuppertal - Recklinghausen - Munster
A45 Dortmund - Hagen - Lüdenscheid
A46 Dusseldorf - Wuppertal
A59 Cologne - Bonn
A61 Mönchengladbach - Koblenz - Ludwigshafen
A81 Stuttgart - Singen
A93 Inntal triangle - Kufstein
A95 /B 2 Munich - Garmisch-Partenkirchen
A96 Munich - Lindau
A99 ring road Munich
Source: Rheinische Post