- The congestion peak reached 689 km of cumulative traffic jams on the road network this Saturday at midday.
- The day was classified “orange” for return journeys by Bison futé, anticipating heavy traffic for the end of the summer holidays.
- The A7 south of Lyon was the most congested route, followed by the A10 (Paris-Bordeaux), the A9 (South of France) and the N165 in Brittany.
- Difficulties persist in Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on Sunday, classified “orange” by Bison futé.
Major Congestion Peak Marks End of Summer Holidays
Motorists returning home this last weekend of the summer holidays faced significant delays on the national road network. A peak of nearly 700 kilometres of cumulative traffic jams, precisely 689 km, was recorded this Saturday at midday across all major routes. This day was classified as “orange” for return journeys by the road information body Bison futé, which had anticipated a substantial influx of vehicles on French roads, marking the end of school holidays for many holidaymakers.
Major Routes in the South and West Particularly Congested
In line with forecasts, certain road axes stood out for their heavy congestion. The A7 motorway, an essential route connecting Lyon to destinations in the south of France, proved to be by far the most congested this Saturday lunchtime, with particularly significant and prolonged delays. Other major routes were also heavily used by returning holidaymakers, notably the A10, which links the Paris region to the city of Bordeaux, as well as the A9, crossing a large part of the south of France. Furthermore, in Brittany, the N165 national road also experienced traffic difficulties, adding to the overall picture. These significant flows are mainly explained by the movement of holidaymakers leaving coastal areas to return to the country’s major cities, according to analyses by Bison futé, which highlights the concentration of returns towards urban centres.
Anticipating Difficulties and Outlook for Sunday
Bison futé had communicated about “numerous” traffic particularly expected on routes serving the Atlantic coast, the South-West, and the South-East quarter of the country, with difficulties predicted from mid-morning and continuing until early evening. For the Île-de-France region, traffic jams were mainly anticipated from mid-afternoon and were expected to persist late into the evening, due to the massive arrival of holidaymakers. It should be noted that the first return movements had already begun the day before, on Friday, a day which had been classified as “red” for holiday departures, signalling very heavy traffic in the other direction. Regarding Sunday, Bison futé’s forecasts indicate an “orange” classification only for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Île-de-France regions, while the rest of the territory is predicted to be “green”, announcing a general easing of traffic conditions for most national road axes.
