Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

LIVING IN AUSTRIA

Austria to face heavy traffic jams and delays this weekend

The extreme heat facing Austria in the coming days can also increase the risk of accidents. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 18 July 2024 12:20 CEST
Austria to face heavy traffic jams and delays this weekend
Cars on a road during sunset in Austria. Photo by Michael Pointner on Unsplash

The ARBÖ traffic experts forecast a weekend of heavy traffic jams and delays, primarily due to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Budapest and the start of school holidays in parts of Germany and the Netherlands. Transit routes in western and eastern Austria are expected to be particularly affected.

“In addition to the start of the holidays, people returning from the UEFA Euro 2024, which ended on Sunday, could also contribute to additional traffic jams,” says ARBÖ traffic expert Thomas Haider. “Experience shows that the first traffic jams start early in the morning, and the last ones clear up in the late afternoon or early evening,” he added, noting that Saturday is expected to be the most congested day.

READ ALSO: Five of the best open-air events this summer

Traffic jams and delays expected around Vienna and beyond

Significant delays are anticipated on the eastern motorway (A4) around Vienna, especially between Simmeringer Haide and the Schwechat junction and at the Nickelsdorf/Hegyeshalom border crossing.

Other traffic jam hotspots across Austria include:

  • Innkreis motorway (A8), at the Suben/Passau border crossing and the roadworks area between Ried im Innkreis and Ort im Innkreis
  • Pyhrn motorway (A9), before the roadworks between Inzersdorf and Kirchdorf, Treglwang and Trieben, and before the Spielfeld/Sentilj border
  • Tauern motorway (A10), near the construction site areas near Lammertal, the Spittal-Millstätter See junction, the St. Michael toll station, and the Tauern tunnel
  • Karawanken motorway (A11), before the Karawanken tunnel
  • Brenner motorway (A13), between Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass, in sections
  • Fernpaß road (B179), along the entire route, especially before the Lermooser and Vils/Füssen border tunnels
  • Seefelder Straße (B177), before the construction site over the Zirler Berg
  • A1, west motorway, Thalgau – Mondsee construction site area
  • A2, south highway, in the Pinkafeld-Lafnitztal, Velden and Villach sections
  • A12, Inntal motorway, in the oncoming traffic area Wörgl, in the greater Innsbruck area
  • A14, Rhine Valley motorway, in the Bludenz area
  • S1, Vienna outer ring motorway, in the Schwechat area
  • S6, Semmering motorway, between Gloggnitz and Maria Schutz
  • L197/B197, Arlberg Pass, due to the closure of the Arlberg Tunnel

READ ALSO: What happens if you commit a driving offence outside Austria?

ÖAMTC warns of increased accident risk due to heat

Austria’s motor club ÖAMTC has also warned of an increased risk of accidents due to the impending heatwave. A recent study by Statistics Austria revealed a 15 percent increase in road accidents on days with temperatures exceeding 30C in 2023.

ÖAMTC traffic psychologist Marion Seidenberger explains that temperatures above 30C can put the body into an “alarm state,” reducing concentration and performance while increasing discomfort, stress, and aggression. 

She advises starting journeys early in the morning or evening when temperatures are lower and avoiding excessive vehicle cooling to minimise temperature differences.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

LIVING IN AUSTRIA

Are the Austrian summer holidays simply too long for parents?

Given many parents in Austria struggle to organise childcare every year for the summer holidays, some believe the break is simply too long.

Published: 24 July 2024 12:05 CEST
Updated: 27 July 2024 07:49 CEST
Are the Austrian summer holidays simply too long for parents?

As another school year ends, parents still struggle to organise childcare for the nine-week summer break across Austria. The extended summer holiday, a staple of the Austrian education system, sparks an annual debate about its length and impact on families.

While the long break allows pupils to rest, recharge, and explore their interests, it poses significant challenges for working parents. 

Many struggle to find affordable and reliable childcare options for extended periods, often resorting to juggling work schedules, relying on extended family, or paying for expensive summer camps.

READ ALSO: The best ideas for what to do with kids in Austria this summer

The debate on whether or not the “long” duration is “still appropriate” popped up again this year.

According to a recent survey by the Chamber of Labour (AK), parents spend an average of €415 per child on vacation care. Together with the trade union federation, the Chamber of Labour is calling for financial support and a sixth week of vacation for parents. 

A Der Standard survey shows that 61 percent of parents take vacation days to care for children—though one parent taking all their yearly time off cannot cover a nine-week holiday. About 27 percent of parents work from home during the summer holidays, juggling childcare and their typical work tasks. Some 12 percent reduce their work hours (with, of course, a pay cut) to manage a long time without kindergarten and school.

Long ‘gap’

Some educational experts told Der Standard that the long nine-week holiday is “noticeable in the children’s performance.” Former teacher and now teacher trainer Verena Hohengasser told the daily newspaper that returning to school is a challenge for both children and teachers.

Education experts advocate for shorter summer vacations, with two weeks off in Whitsun (early June) and two weeks of Easter (around April). This model is followed by several German states, for example.

Critics point out that splitting summer vacations won’t solve the childcare problem – even if the nine weeks are not consecutive; they are still more than any parent can afford to take from work. 

READ ALSO: When are Austria’s school summer holidays in 2024?

The childcare difficulties will only be solved by either giving parents more time off (something the AK advocates for, as mentioned), creating more public summer daycares and childcare facilities, or a combination of both.

EU comparison

However, Austria is far from having the longest summer holidays in the European Union. 

Just like Austria, which has nine weeks of holidays, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland, and other Eastern European countries also have between eight and ten weeks. 

Countries such as France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Norway have under eight weeks of summer school holidays. Meanwhile, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and others offer students between 10 and 12 weeks of summer holidays. 

As Austrian media reported, the longest time off is in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Latvia, where students get more than 12 weeks of summer holidays.

SHOW COMMENTS