Erfurt (dpa/th) - The ADAC in Thuringia assumes that the streets will be fuller over the Ascension Day. An ADAC spokesman said on Tuesday that an increase in traffic was already expected on Wednesday afternoon. Above all, the junctions of the A4 and 71 motorways near Erfurt and around the Hermsdorfer Kreuz in eastern Thuringia (A4 and A9) are at risk of congestion at times. It is to be expected that commuters will meet here with the first short vacationers, said ADAC spokesman Oliver Reidegeld. "Nevertheless, Thuringia is the land of the blessed when it comes to traffic jams. Yes, the streets are getting fuller. But the traffic will continue to flow." The return wave reached its peak on Sunday afternoon.
According to ADAC, the Ascension weekend is one of the most congested of the year. In Thuringia, as in some other federal states, there is officially no school on the Friday after the public holiday. Experience has shown that the public holiday and the bridging day were particularly popular with short vacationers, it said.
The extent to which the 9-euro ticket will affect traffic jams around public holidays and long weekends in the next three months is "a look into the crystal ball" at the current time, said Reidegeld. The traffic club is already assuming "that many people will try it out and switch to the train," said Reidegeld. It is unclear whether the offer will also work in the rural areas of Thuringia. "We really need to look at that first." Due to the pandemic, however, figures are difficult to compare even afterwards, he pointed out.
