Snowfall causes worst Dutch traffic all year; 2,500 km jams

Over 343 reports of traffic jams in the Netherlands tied up 2,501 kilometers of roadways in the country on Monday at 5:05 p.m., according to traveller's association ANWB. The amount of traffic increased by fifty percent in just 30 minutes, easily setting a record for the worst traffic day of 2017, despite the use of 900 snowplows and 1,200 extra road workers to deal with the Code Red weather alert.

Public buses in Amsterdam stopped operating by 4:50 p.m., with Amsterdam transit authority saying it was "too dangerous for our staff and passengers to travel." The trams there were operational, but reduced.

Delays were also reported all across the Rotterdam transit network. Extra travel time was recommended on on dozens of bus lines, Metro lines A, B, and C, and a few tram routes.

Dit is het beeld dat @BuienRadarNL 19:45 uur verwacht. De hele spits blijft het dus sneeuwen (oranje) in een groot deel van het land. En kou zorgt voor bevriezing van natte weggedeelten. Overal alert blijven dus. pic.twitter.com/1SZWdusx7U

— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) December 11, 2017

Arriva bus services were also cancelled in Leiden and other parts of Zuid-Holland, including Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Lisse, and Krimpen aan den IJssel.

Many problems were reported in and around Amsterdam highways, particularly at the Zeeburger and Coen Tunnels. Traffic also built up heavily in Den Haag and Rotterdam. 

The speed was limited to 50 km/h on most Dutch expressways, where 780 kilometers of traffic built up according to VID.

An expected build-up of snow and traffic led many to close up early, including academic institutions, stores, and offices. The Dutch airports also reported problems, with Schiphol showing cancellations of a third of its flights, as well as the nation's rail network.