[REVISION HISTORY]

European summer traffic congestion continues

Updated 8 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-20 07:37 UTC → 2026-08-22 07:50 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Holiday travel continues to overload major road networks across Europe. In France, Bison Futé classified Saturday 1 August 2026 as a “black day” for traffic, with cumulative jams exceeding 1,000 km at midday. For the weekend of 7–10 August, a red-level alert was issued, with Saturday 8 August identified as the peak day. Authorities warned that key highways could turn into “parking lots,” specifically noting the A7 (Lyon-Orange), the A9 (Spain-Narbonne), and the A10 (Poitiers-Bordeaux). For the weekend of 7–10 August, Bison Futé also warned that the A6 motorway between Lyon and Beaune should be avoided on Sunday 9 August between 10:00 and 18:00 due to peak return traffic from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Traffic was expected to normalize by Monday 10 August. As the summer holiday transition period progressed, the August 15 holiday weekend saw significant disruptions. Saturday 15 August was classified as “red” nationally for both departures and returns, with “black” conditions expected for departures in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Key areas of concern included the Mediterranean arc and routes connecting the south to Île-de-France and Bordeaux, with heavy saturation expected on the A7 (Orange-Lyon) and the A43 (Lyon-Chambéry). By midday on 15 August, cumulative traffic jams reached approximately 712 km across France (excluding Île-de-France). Looking ahead to the end of the month, Bison Futé has issued warnings for the peak summer return period between 21 and 24 August. ~~Friday 21 August is classified as orange nationally, with red-level congestion possible on the Orange–Lançon axis in Bouches-du-Rhône.~~ On Saturday 22 ~~August~~ August, departure traffic is expected to ~~see massive congestion, particularly around~~ be orange in regions including Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Centre-Val de Loire, Bretagne, Normandie, and Hauts-de-France, with bottlenecks noted at the ~~Mediterranean arc~~ Mont Blanc Tunnel and the ~~A7 motorway near Marseille. Significant movements are also~~ A75. For returns, the western part of the country is classified as red, with significant congestion anticipated on the A10, A11, A63, and A6. On Sunday 23 ~~August across the South-East,~~ August, the ~~Atlantic coast, and central France.~~ entire country is expected to experience orange-level traffic for returns.

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