As holidaymakers prepare for heavy disruption at Swiss airports this summer, the Touring Club of Switzerland (TCS) has warned that drivers will also face significant delays. The TCS predicts roads and motorways in Switzerland will be hit with record-breaking traffic jams over the next few weeks.
Director of the TCS Jürg Wittwer, said that faced with the increased cost of flying and the continued disruption at airports in Switzerland and overseas, many families and individuals will be choosing to go on holiday using their own car. He warned that drivers in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia will all be using Swiss roads to get to holiday destinations in Italy and the Mediterranean, so delays are likely.
He explained that COVID has put many people off public transport and flying, and as a result, the TCS “assumes that vacations by car will be more popular than ever this summer." With the school holidays in Switzerland set to begin soon, the TCS forecasts record-breaking traffic jams in mid-July and mid-August. The biggest jams are expected to be southbound on the roads leading up to the Gotthard Tunnel and San Bernardino Pass.
Wittwer called on all Swiss drivers to check their vehicles are in running order before departing in order to avoid road accidents and breakdowns. When driving, he advised holidaymakers to drive slowly and to avoid tighter parking spaces.
"It's not enough to leave work two hours earlier on Friday and then drive off - at the Gotthard at the latest you will realise that you weren't the only one who had the idea," Wittwer joked. To avoid the jams, Wittwer advised against travelling on Fridays, Mondays or the weekend. "If you really want to travel faster, you should take your vacation from Wednesday to Wednesday, for example," he concluded.