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La rentrée is fast approaching and summer holiday travellers are heading back home, prompting Bison Futé to warn that traffic jams are likely on major routes this weekend.
With France’s long summer holidays winding down, holidaymakers are heading back home to prepare for la rentrée, meaning key routes will again be jammed with traffic.
Roads watchdog Bison Futé has issued red travel warnings – indicating very difficult conditions on the roads in parts of France on Friday and Saturday, and its highest black alert – extremely difficult driving conditions – across the entire south of the country on Saturday.
Friday, August 22nd
Home-heading holidaymakers are expected to clog up major routes across the whole country.
In particular, significant difficulties are expected from the south-west (A63, A10) and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (A7 and access to the Mont Blanc Tunnel from Italy). These could extend from mid-morning until the evening, depending on the area.
Motorists travelling on Friday afternoon are advised to:
Saturday, August 23rd
Outbound travel on Saturday – lucky holidaymakers are still heading out – is expected to be heaviest in the south-east quarter of France, mainly on the A7, A8, A9, and A54.
Traffic will be heavier still in the direction of major cities from popular holiday destinations, with red and black travel alerts in place. Congestion is expected to start building from early in the morning and continue in some areas.
Anyone planning long journeys on the penultimate Saturday of the summer holiday period should take head of the following advice:
Outbound travel
Return travel
Sunday, August 24th
The travel watchdog’s focus on Sunday is again on travellers heading back home from their holidays, with jams expected on roads heading from the Mediterranean coast – notably the A9, A75, and A7, as well as routes heading towards the Île-de-France, such as the A10, and A71.
All the specific travel advice is for motorists heading away from holiday destinations:
Monday, August 25th
On Monday, travel in Île-de-France will be heavier than normal for a Monday as commuter traffic and holiday traffic combine from early afternoon through to late evening. Advice for travellers in the area is simple. Reach your destination, or pass through the region before 11am or after 8pm.
Although French schools do not return until Monday, September 1st, it seems that the majority of families are planning to return this weekend – giving themselves a week of stationery shopping and other preparations. Traffic forecasts for next week are therefore less problematic.
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