Red alert: Which are the worst weekends on French roads?

This weekend, traffic levels are expected to be ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ for most of the weekend across most of the country as motorists head back home from their holidays. 

Conditions will not be helped by the heat dome over France.so motorists are advised to take extra precautions in case they get caught in a tailback.

Traditionally the last weekend in August is very busy on the roads as families head home before the start of the school holidays.

This year schools go back on Monday, September 4th so families do have the option of returning on the weekend of September 2nd/3rd if they want to.

However, Bison futé predicts that old habit will die hard - issuing red warnings for the weekend of August 26th/27th but only an amber alert for the first weekend in September. 

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August 18th/19th/20th

Bison futé has placed the southeast quarter of the country on red alert on Friday; and the entire country on its second highest traffic warning on Saturday. It has issued a third red-level alert for the southeast of the country on Sunday. 

Saturday is also a ‘yellow warning’ for outward journeys, but the rest of the weekend - including Friday - is ‘green’, with no forecastable problems expected.

In its sole alert to drivers heading for a well-earned holiday on Saturday it advised them to:

• leave or cross the Île-de-France region before 8am;
• avoid the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 12noon to 6pm;
• avoid the A9 between Montpellier and Narbonne from 11am to 2pm;
• avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne from 1pm to 3pm.

But the bulk of its detailed travel advice was for those heading back home after their summer break.

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Bison Futé advised holidaymakers heading home on Friday, in a bid to avoid the weekend rush, to:

• leave or cross the Ile-de-France region before 2pm;
• avoid the A7 between Orange and Lyon from 3pm to 11pm;
• avoid the A9 between Montpellier and Orange from 5pm to 8pm;
• avoid the A61 between Narbonne and Carcassonne between 2pm and 5pm;
• It also warned of ‘very heavy traffic’ at the Mont-Blanc tunnel until 9pm.

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Those who have decided to tough out Saturday’s red ‘very difficult’ travel warning should, according to Bison Futé:

• reach or cross Ile-de-France before 2pm;
• avoid the A7 between Orange and Lyon from 3pm to 8pm;
• avoid the A9 between Narbonne and Montpellier from 11am to 5pm, and between Montpellier and Orange from 11am to 6pm;
• avoid the A10 near Bordeaux from 4pm to 6pm;
• avoid the N165 between Quimper and Nantes from 11am to 1pm;
• It also warned of ‘very heavy traffic’ at the Mont-Blanc tunnel from 12noon to 10pm.

Sunday road users heading back to major cities from holiday resorts have been offered the following advice: 

• reach or cross Ile-de-France before 12noon;
• avoid the A7 between Orange and Lyon between 1pm and 9pm;
• avoid the A9 between Spain and Narbonne, from 12noon to 3pm;
• ‘very heavy traffic’ at the Mont-Blanc tunnel from 12noon to 9pm.

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Travel issues for the end-of-holiday return continue into Monday, with Bison Futé urging road users specifically to reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 2pm. After that time, it forecasts more difficult driving conditions in the greater Paris area.