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COLD

Swedish motorists warned of icy roads as cold snap bites

Swedish emergency services are warning motorists to take extra special care over the weekend, as a cold snap brought black ice to roads across the country, causing a string of accidents.

Swedish motorists warned of icy roads as cold snap bites
The roads will be a bit icy over the weekend, but not quite as bad as in this archive picture. Photo: Pontus Stenberg/TT
“We have had five traffic accidents already this morning,” Anders Hägglund, head of the rescue services in Södertörn outside Stockholm, told the Expressen newspaper. “When it’s slippery and you go into a skid, that’s what can happen.” 
 
A truck slid off the E4 motorway at the Järna junction south of Stockholm early on Saturday morning and ended up stuck between two exits. Traffic on the road then came to a total stop for several hours. 
 
Another accident took place in the Stockholm area of Solvalla in the early afternoon, and two more accidents north of the city near Norrtälje. 
 
Hägglund advised motorists not to go out without winter tyres, and warned others to drive slowly and keep their distance from the cars in front. 
 
 
Lasse Rydqvist, a meteorologist at the weather forecasting company StormGeo, said that a high pressure system in the west of Sweden was bringing cold weather. 
 
“It’s going to continue to be colder than normal, two to four degrees colder than what you might expect for late November,” he told Expressen. 
 
“By midday the temperature’s going to be around zero, nudging into the positive in some parts of the south. In the north, we can expect between zero and -5C,” he said. 
 
He said that as meteorological winter spread to central and southern Sweden it was time to put winter tyres on cars. 
 
“It’s pretty frozen out there in the countryside and on the roads and it looks like the same situation on Saturday night,” he said. 
 

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HOLIDAY

Traffic warnings issued in France for Pentecost holiday weekend

Traffic authorities have warned of busy roads as people in France head off for the long Pentecost weekend.

Traffic warnings issued in France for Pentecost holiday weekend
Many French people will be heading off for a long weekend until Monday, which marks the Christian celebration of Pentecost (Pentecôte). Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Roads will be busy across most of the country on Friday as many people in France take advantage of the public holiday on Monday 24th, which marks the Christian celebration of Pentecost (Pentecôte).

READ ALSO: Pentecost: The French public holiday where people work for free

Bison Futé, the government-run website that monitors traffic levels in France, has put most of the country on orange alert (third highest) on Friday for departures, except for the greater Paris Île-de-France region and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which were on red alert (second highest).

READ ALSO: What changes in France on Wednesday as phase 2 of reopening begins?

Photo: Bison Futé

On Saturday the whole country will also be on orange alert for departures except for the Île-de-France region, which will be on red alert. And the same will be the case on Monday for returns.

Photo: Bison Futé

Rail disruption for trains to Marseille and from Paris to Toulouse

With SCNF carrying out works at the Saint-Charles station in Marseille, there is expected to be significant disruption in trains arriving in the southern French city from Saturday 22nd and Monday 24th of May.

This includes the TER trains between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, Avignon via Arles, Narbonne and Lyon; the Intercités between Marseille and Bordeaux (a bus service will be available on Sunday 23rd of May) and the TGV Inoui and Ouigo trains.

The Intercité line from Paris to Toulouse will also be severely disrupted due to building works. There will be no trains running on Sunday, and will restart progressively from Monday.

From Wednesday May 19th, the curfew has been pushed back from 7pm to 9pm. So if you are travelling between 9pm and 6am, you need to fill the latest version of the attestation, which can be found on the TousAntiCovid app.

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