Busiest rush hour of the year: over 500 km of traffic jams

Madness reigned on Dutch roads on Tuesday morning. A combination of rainy weather and a large number of accidents caused numerous traffic jams and delays. Both the ANWB and Rijkswaterstaat called it a rush hour record for this year, the Telegraaf reports.

Rijkswaterstaat's traffic information service measured a total of 514 kilometers of traffic jams on Dutch highways, much higher than the 300 kilometers the public works department expected. The ANWB, which also monitors traffic on provincial roads, reported 970 kilometers of traffic jams - the highest number so far this year, a spokesperson said to the newspaper.

"We saw a number of accidents in the vicinity of Rotterdam that had a lot of influence on traffic", a Rijkswaterstaat spokesperson said to the Telegraaf. "On the A12 at Gouda, the A4 and the A15. The whole corner at Rotterdam was hit. There was also an accident on the A58 at Ulvenhout, which meant that the road had to be completely closed."

According to ANWB, Tuesday mornings usually see around 530 kilometers of traffic jams on Dutch highways and provincial roads.

Evening rush hour on Tuesday is also expected to be very busy due to the rainy weather.