As the summer season reaches its peak and the holiday period begins, European countries are introducing measures to reduce heavy traffic and congestion on their road networks. France and Germany are among the countries that have recently implemented additional Saturday traffic restrictions to help regulate vehicle flow during the busiest travel months.
Traffic restrictions in France
France has introduced nationwide traffic restrictions that will apply on selected Saturdays throughout the summer season. The restrictions apply to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tonnes or more.
On the dates listed below, heavy goods vehicles will not be permitted to use any public roads across the country from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
The restrictions will apply on the following Saturdays:
- July 11
- July 18
- July 25
- August 1
- August 8
It is important to remember that the regular weekend driving restrictions will also remain in force. These apply from 10:00 PM until midnight on Saturdays, and from midnight until 10:00 PM on Sundays.
Traffic restrictions in Germany
Germany has also introduced temporary traffic restrictions that will apply every Saturday from July 1 through August 31.
The restrictions apply to vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes and are in effect from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The temporary driving ban applies to the following motorways:
A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, A45, A61, A67, A81, A92, A93, A99, A113, A115, A831, A980, and A995.
The restrictions also affect certain sections of the B31 and B96/E251 federal roads.
A detailed list of the affected routes and a map of the restricted road sections can be found on the trafficban.com website, available here.
