Road traffic Start of vacations leads to more traffic in several regions
According to the Federal Office of Transport, higher traffic volumes are to be expected in winter sports resorts in the coming weeks due to the sports vacations. There will also be more traffic on the highways on the Central Plateau.
21.01.2025, 11:27
SDA
In addition, the Federal Office of Transport (Astra) also expects increased traffic volumes in urban areas, as it announced on Tuesday.
The effects of winter sports and vacation traffic are likely to be felt on the A1, A2, A3, A8, A9 and A13, especially at weekends. The Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne and Lugano areas, the Gotthard tunnel, the area around the San Bernardino route, Sargans SG and Rothenbrunnen GR as well as the routes towards the Bernese Oberland and Valais will be particularly affected.
According to Astra, high traffic volumes with congestion and time losses on main axes often lead to unwanted traffic diversions. This puts a strain on people and traffic in the villages along the national roads and ultimately leads to gridlock in the regions. This increases the risk of accidents. Astra emphasizes that it is therefore important for travellers to stay on the freeway and not leave it even when there is a traffic jam.
According to Astra, there may be waiting times at the following loading stations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the outward journey: at the Furka car transport in Realp VS, at the Lötschberg in Kandersteg BE and at the Vereina in Klosters-Selfranga GR.
Experience has shown that waiting times on the return journey are possible from 11 am to 6 pm. This applies to the Furka in Oberwald VS, the Lötschberg in Goppenstein VS and the Vereina in Lavin-Sagliains GR.
In Switzerland, the winter sports vacations begin on different dates.
