One Thousand Kilometres

Traffic jams across France reached a peak of 1,041.2 kilometres at 11:50am on Saturday, with more than a hundred kilometres on the A7 serving the Rhône Valley and the A9 heading to the Spanish border. By 12:35pm, the total had only dropped to 921.3 kilometres. The forecaster Bison futé had published a warning of "extremely difficult traffic on all major roads in the country" and recommended, where possible, to postpone one's trip and avoid taking to the road that day.[1]

All major roads are affected: those serving the Atlantic coast, the Southwest, central France, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and the Mediterranean coast. Congestion started very early in the morning and was expected to end in the early evening. In the Île-de-France region, traffic on the A6 and A10 motorways was expected to reach its peak by late morning. Saturday is also classified as orange ("difficult") for return journeys.[2]

The context is the first Saturday of August, which is one of the busiest travel days of the French summer. Luxembourg drivers know this well. The A6 and A10 out of Paris, the A7 down the Rhône Valley, and the A9 to Spain are the same routes that Luxembourgers take to reach the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Pyrenees. A thousand kilometres of cumulative traffic jams means that a six-hour drive can become a ten-hour one. Bison futé does not issue "extremely difficult" warnings lightly. The recommendation to postpone the trip is the strongest advice the forecaster can give.[3]

There is also a specific note about the Gironde region. Following the fires that struck the area, the A63 motorway reopened on Thursday, but "restrictions may still remain on the local road network." Bison futé invites travellers to check the situation. Sunday will be classified as a red day in much of the southern half of the country for departures, and orange in the rest. For return journeys, the day is green except for the Mediterranean coast, which is orange. The summer travel season is at its peak, and so is the traffic.[4]