Big departure day in traffic – increasing queues towards Sørlandet

– There is still increasing traffic. It started around 11.30, and it is difficult to say how long it will last throughout the day, says traffic operator Kristin Våsjø in the Southern Traffic Center to NTB.

In some places, the car journey can take longer than normal, according to Våsjø. Both on the E18 at Drammen in Buskerud and at Langangen in Telemark there is a slow-moving queue on Thursday afternoon. Most of the traffic goes in the direction of Sørlandet.

– There is a ten-minute delay and slow-moving queue at Drammen, and a 30-minute delay at Langangen, says Våsjø, who encourages road users to avoid dangerous overtaking and concentrate on the traffic.

Going on a trip to Sweden

There are also a good number of cars on the roads in the Oslo area on Thursday. Traffic is greatest in the direction of the Swedish border.

– As of now, most traffic is in the direction of Svinesund. It may have something to do with the fact that the shops are closed here in Norway, but open in Sweden. And then of course there are many people who will be preparing campsites for the summer, says traffic operator Barbro Evensen Venhagen in the Vegtrafikksentralen east to NTB.

– There are a good number of cars on the road, but good traffic flow, with the exception of a few car accidents on the E6 in Østfold and north of Oslo, which have caused some congestion, she says.

Several fell asleep

Venhagen advises travelers to take necessary breaks when driving.

– We have seen some cases where people have fallen asleep while driving today, that is not good. Take breaks and keep a good distance on the road, it cannot be repeated often enough, she says.

But the fact that these May weekends are busy is nothing new for the road traffic centre.

– It is common for the weekend with Friday squeezed in to be a departure weekend. It will probably also be next weekend with 17 May and Pentecost, says Våsjø.

– We expect extra traffic to the south during these weekends in the spring.