Less traffic than usual but more than last year
Usually, Christmas is not a contemplative time – at least on the streets. This year, however, the ubiquitous corona pandemic is thwarting the traffic jams. However, not always and everywhere.
According to the ADAC, there will be more traffic and congestion on the motorways around the Christmas holidays last year, when a Germany-wide partial lockdown severely restricted private travel. However, the level of congestion seen in previous years will probably not be reached.
Trips abroad, visits to relatives and trips to local recreation areas are permitted with the exception of individual hotspots. The appeal from politicians to stay at home at Christmas and the lack of planning security are likely to keep many people from traveling again this year. The streets of the metropolitan areas are also unlikely to reach their load limits quite as much as in previous years, although commuter traffic around the big cities has been almost as heavy for months as it was before the pandemic.
Fewer last-minute gift hunters are expected, partly because Christmas markets are banned in many places. The busiest days are Wednesday 22 December and Thursday 23 December, when the Christmas holidays start in almost all federal states. The streets get crowded, especially in the afternoons of both days. The Christmas days themselves are always less congested than most other days of the year. Especially on Christmas Eve (Friday) and the first holiday (Saturday) it will be quiet on the streets. Ski vacationer traffic in the direction of the Alpine countries should also be lower than in previous years. On Boxing Day (Sunday), many motorists return from visiting relatives and families. Then patience is required, especially in the afternoon.
The most important traffic jams:
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Greater Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich areas
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A 1 Cologne – Dortmund – Bremen – Hamburg
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A 2 Dortmund – Hanover – Braunschweig – Berlin
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A 3 Cologne – Frankfurt – Nuremberg – Passau
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A 4 Kirchheimer Dreieck – Erfurt – Dresden
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A 5 Hattenbacher Dreieck – Karlsruhe
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A 6 Heilbronn – Nuremberg
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A 7 Hamburg – Hanover and Würzburg – Füssen/Reutte
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A 8 Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Munich – Salzburg
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A 9 Munich – Nuremberg
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A 10 Berliner Ring
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A 24 Hamburg Berlin
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A 61 Mönchengladbach – Koblenz – Ludwigshafen
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A 81 Stuttgart – Singing
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A 93 Inntal triangle – Kufstein
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A 95 / B 2 Munich – Garmisch-Partenkirchen
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A 99 Munich bypass
Car trips abroad are easier this year than a year ago. However, there will not be many and long traffic jams. A little more driving time should be planned on the long-distance roads to the winter sports resorts (Tauernautobahn, Brenner and Gotthard route). At all German external borders, waiting times are generally to be expected due to increased controls, both when leaving for the neighboring country and when entering Germany. The applicable provisions (usually proof of vaccination or convalescence certificates or test requirements) are usually checked on a random basis. The controls focus on the main border crossings on the motorways.
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text Hanno S. Ritter
