Busy evening rush hour expected as school holidays start; More Texel ferries from today

Netherlands residents can expect busy roads on Friday afternoon as the autumn holiday starts for schools in the Noord region. Traffic should start piling up around noon when families leave for vacation, travelers organization ANWB warned. The ferry from Texel will run more often to cope with the vacation traffic.

At the start of the autumn holidays last year, evening rush hour traffic increased to over 700 kilometers of traffic jams. Today’s rainy weather means it could get even worse, the ANWB warned.

The ANWB expects the first traffic jams to start around noon. The worst problems will be on the A2 and A27 from Utrecht to the south and the A1 and A12 to the east. Traditionally, Gelderland, Overijssel, Noord-Brabant, and Limburg are popular destinations for Netherlands residents during the autumn vacation.

From Friday, October 14, to Monday, October 17, the ferry from Texel will run more often to cope with the vacation crowds, according to Noordhollands Dagblad. The service expects some longer waiting times on Friday and Sunday.