Are you going out for a drive today? Maybe you are going to the cabin? Then it might be a good idea to take a look at ØB’s traffic info article, which you are currently reading.
It is expected that many people will go on a long trip during the Ascension weekend, and the figures from May for the last three years give an indication of when and where there may be queues.
At 3:11 p.m., both the East police district and the Road Traffic Center East reported a traffic accident on the E6 in the southbound direction near Halmstad in Moss. Four cars were involved, and it was expected that this would lead to traffic problems. A little after half past four, it is clear that there is only minor material damage, and no personal injury. The cars have been removed and the road opened.
Read more about it further down in the article!
This is how the traffic flow is right now
Check the cameras
Here you will find the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s cameras for many places. You can check for the municipality you are traveling to or from.
Check the mountain passes
Here you have an overview of mountain passes that may be relevant for you who are going long distances.
Check the air traffic right now
Here you will find departures from Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
From the big cities
According to a press release from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the traffic figures for the month of May from 2021-2023 confirm that a good number choose to take Friday off, and use the long weekend to get away. In these years, the Wednesday before Christ’s ascension was the May day with the most traffic delays. However, the exception was last year, because then it was 17 May on this Wednesday. This year, 17 May falls in connection with the Pentecost exodus.
– Christ’s ascension is set to be the big May procession weekend this year, and queues are to be expected from the big cities, especially Oslo. That’s what section manager at the Road Traffic Center in Oslo East, Christian Prydz, says.
Against Sweden
While the Easter procession largely goes to the mountains, most delays are expected in the south in connection with the Ascension procession. And especially from Oslo and southwards along the E6 towards Sweden and the E18 towards Southern Norway. There was a doubling of delays in 2021 and 2022, compared to normal rush hour traffic.
– Elsewhere in the country, there is also a little extra traffic, and especially from the bigger cities. But the delays are nowhere near as big as in Oslo, with Bergen being a good second, says Prydz.
Queue until the evening
The figures from 2021 and 2022 show that the delays on the Wednesday before Christ’s ascension started from around 2pm, and peaked between 3-5pm. But on the most popular routes there have been delays until around eight o’clock in the evening.
– Consider whether you can drive earlier or later in the day. If you drive between 14 and 18, you must be prepared for delays, especially if you are driving towards Sweden or towards the South from Oslo on this day, says Prydz.
From Oslo, 37 per cent drove in the direction of Sweden, 32 per cent towards Sørlandet, 16 per cent towards Hallingdal/Valdres, eight per cent towards Telemark/Numedal and seven per cent towards Østerdalen/Gudbrandsdalen on the Wednesday before Christ’s ascension in 2022. This applies to cars that drove longer than 1.5 hours, or the equivalent of about 100 km.
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Planning
During the journey home on Sunday, the traffic is spread out more outwards. This avoids rush hour traffic as an additional factor. But it is especially on the E18 through Telemark that there have been a lot of delays on Sunday in the time period 13-18, with a peak around 15, and near Drammen around 16-20, according to Prydz.
He recommends that you plan your journey at www.vegvesen.no/trafikk before departure or download the “Vegvesen trafikk” app. There you can get traffic reports for the section you are going to drive and receive alerts about roadworks and other incidents. In addition, you can follow queues and the traffic image on the web cameras in the app.
– Let someone other than the driver check for updates, or stop in a suitable place so that you avoid dangerous situations. Keep your eyes on the road and drive carefully, he emphasizes.
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Kicked off the season with a giant turnout – 700 drove from Tyrigrava
More people take risks
Prydz points out that speed increases when spring comes and the roads are free of snow and ice, and that more people take risks with dangerous overtaking.
– We would encourage people to plan well, slow down and not take unnecessary chances in traffic both on departure days and on other days, says Prydz.
He also has a special message for the many people who have found their motorbike again after a long winter:
– Most have not ridden a bike since last autumn, and are perhaps a little rusty. In addition, there is still a lot of gravel on the roads in several places in the country. I would encourage you to be particularly attentive, and to take it easy!
