Tough rush hour tonight as frost arrives & Sinterklaas goes home

Traffic information service VID is expecting a tough evening rush hour in the Netherlands today due to the cold weather and people excited to get home for the Sinterklaas celebration .The VID expects the first traffic jam to hit around 3:30 p.m., about an hour earlier than usual, the Gelderlander reports.

The past years showed that motorists leave work around 3:00 p.m. on December 5th to be home in time for Sinterklaas. In previous years, rush hour traffic was at its worse around 5:00 p.m. on December 5th, over 30 minutes earlier than during regular evening rush hour. And VID expects that tonight will be no different.

The weather will also cause a busier than usual rush hour, with the cold expected to bring frost. 

The morning rush hour was also a tough one on Monday. An accident on the A12 at junction Waterberg caused chaos in the rush hour traffic around Arnhem. Two lanes were closed due to the accident, which involved two trucks and two cars. By 8:00 a.m. there was an 18 km traffic jam between Beek and junction Grijsoord, resulting in 30 minutes' delay, according to the Telegraaf.

The accident also brought traffic on the A50 from Apeldoorn to Arnhem to a standstill. Around 8:00 a.m. there was a 12 kilometer traffic jam between Hoederloo and junction Waterberg, with 30 minutes' delays.