Dutch roads saw the number of commuters peak on Wednesday morning as a result of bad weather, road closures, and traffic accidents on a number of major motorways.
While many across the Netherlands have spent the last year and a half carrying out their jobs from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the relaxation of the Dutch government’s work from home advice means thousands of people are returning to the office on a more regular basis.
While a number of people continue to work from home, the number of daily commuters continues to rise, with the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) reporting that Wednesday morning saw the busiest day of the year, peaking at 555 kilometres of traffic jams at 8.30am.
ANWB attributes the busy roads and significant delays to the poor weather conditions and closure of a number of main roads. Most delays were experienced in the centre and south of the Netherlands, as the A12 remains closed near Utrecht and accidents on the A16 near Rotterdam and the A4 between Amsterdam and The Hague.
"We often see the peak of the morning rush hour around 7.45am, but partly due to the closure of the A12, many traffic jams remain for a long time," a spokesperson told De Telegraaf. The conditions on Wednesday mean October 6 now holds the record for the busiest morning commute of the year, breaking the record set only last week on September 28.
Alongside busier roads in the mornings, anyone making use of the Dutch public transport system for their commute will also now have to contend with an increased number of travellers. According to Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), passenger numbers continue to rise, with more than 70 percent of travellers having already returned to the trains.
“On average, two-thirds of travellers return during the week, compared to 2019,” explained an NS spokesperson. “Last Tuesday, NS was able to welcome more than 912,000 travellers - the highest number on one day since the coronavirus crisis began.”