by

Slovenia – additional HGV driving bans on August 12-15

The driving ban applies to vehicles with a maximum permissible weight exceeding 7.5 tons on the following dates:

❌ August 12, Saturday, generally from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM on roads along the coast;
❌ August 13, Sunday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
❌ August 15, Tuesday, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM;
Vehicles involved in flood relief are exempt from the ban.

by

A complete night closure of the A7 from 12 to 13 August

In April 2023, DEGES completed the construction of the new K 30 embankment.

Currently, works related to the final phase of the construction are underway. These involve removing makeshift structures, including the central crossing in the transition to the K 20 embankment and the auxiliary embankment on the western side of the A 7 motorway, but also the restoration of service and rescue roads along the K 30 embankment.
For this reason it will be necessary to reorganize traffic on this motorway section again.
The re-organisation of traffic and the activation of new traffic management software in the Elbe Tunnel will be implemented during the complete night closure of the A7 motorway over the coming weekend.
After the closure is over, traffic will continue along three southbound lanes. One lane will run through the fourth tunnel tube and two lanes will run through the third tunnel tube. This traffic organization will probably be maintained until April 2024.
During the night closure of the A7 motorway from 10:00 PM on Saturday, August 12, to 9:00 on Sunday, August 13, the following traffic restrictions will apply:
• closure of the northbound carriageway between the HH-Heimfeld (32) and HH-Volkspark (27) junctions
• closure of the the southbound carriageway between the HH-Volkspark (27) and HH-Waltershof (30) junctions
• closures of exit roads at the HH-Volkspark (27), HH-Bahrenfeld (28), HH-Othmarschen (29), HH-Waltershof (30) and HH-Heimfeld (32) junctions starting from 9:00 PM on Friday, August 12.
From 9:00 PM on Saturday, August 8, to 5:00 on Saturday, August 19:
• closure of the slip lane on the southbound motorway at the HH-Othmarschen junction (29)
• Alternatively, drivers can take the slip road to the southbound carriageway at the HH-Bahrenfeld (28) junction. There are information boards along the route.
Because traffic through the Elbe Tunnel is to be maintained until April 2024, drivers are generally advised to bypass the slip road to the southbound carriageway at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction and use the HH-Bahrenfeld (28) or HH – Volkspark (27) junctions instead!
Diversions and alternative routes:
During the complete closure through traffic from the north and south is diverted along the A1, A21 and B205.
In addition to this diversion, the following alternative route is recommended for drivers heading to destinationss west of Hamburg:
• from A 23 Pinneberg Nord via Westring – L103 to Altonaer Chaussee / Luruper Hauptstraße and from there to the final destination
Depending on your destination, diversions in the city center start from the HH-Stellingen (26), HH-Volkspark (27) and HH-Heimfeld (32) junctions:
• drivers going in the direction of Hanover should follow the signs “Elbbrücken” at the HH-Stellingen junction (26) via the B4 to the A1 and A7
• Drivers heading to Hamburg East/Centre can go from the HH-Stellingen junction (26) towards the airport via Koppelstraße, Julius-Vossler-Straße and to Siemersplatz, and from there towards the centre.
• or take Osterfeldstrasse to the B5 in the direction of East Hamburg
• or further from Vogt-Wells-Strasse to Elbbrücken (A255 / A1)
• Drivers heading south to Altona-West should follow the mandatory U33 diversion at the HH-Volkspark junction (27) and turn left at the Schnackenburg / Binsbarg junction towards Altona
• traffic in the direction of Flensburg follows the mandatory U7 diversion at the HH-Heimfeld junction (32);
• From the Elbe bridges, first take the B75 and B5 towards the airport or City Nord, and from Siemersplatz continue along the B4 to the HH-Stellingen (26) junction or B447 to the HH-Schnelsen (24) junction;
• Traffic from Hanover can take the obligatory U21 diversion towards the port from the HH-Heimfeld junction (32).
Drivers from the north are also advised to avoid the closed section of the A7 motorway:
Drivers heading to the city center can:
• get to the HH-Schnelsen-Nord junction (23) via the airport bypass B432 and B433 and Alsterkrugchaussee
• from the HH-Schnelsen junction (24) via the B447 Schleswiger Damm, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, Kollaustraße
Make sure you check the best diversion route depending on your destination, before starting your journey.

by

Does a holiday always mean a driving ban?

From time to time we are asked why we do not provide information about a driving ban if there is a holiday in a certain country on a given day. Here’s the explanation.

❌ First of all, not every European country has traffic restrictions for heavy goods vehicles. This is the case in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, among others.
❌ Secondly, one needs to distinguish between holidays and days with HGV driving bans. Usually they overlap, but this is not a rule, as in the case of the Feast of Epiphany (January 6). While it is a public holiday in Poland and Germany, neither country has a HGV driving ban on this day. There are more such examples in Germany: August 15 and November 22.
❌ Since there are more such situations in European countries, you should always check if the holiday is associated with any driving bans. All relevant information can be found on trafficban.com.

by

Belgium: closure of the Kennedy Tunnel in Antwerp

The Kennedy Tunnel on the Antwerp ring road (R1) will be closed in both diurections from 00:00 to 7:00 AM on Saturday/Sunday 5/6.08 and on Saturday/Sunday 12/13.08 in order to remove defects in the high-voltage system.

Although the tunnel will be closed at nighttime, drivers can expect significant traffic disruptions, including the closure of several other nearby roads.
The list of affected roads:
• E19 from Brussels to R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• Wilrijk exit (5) to R1 in the direction of Ghent (Jan van Rijswijcklaan);
• Jan De Vostunnel (A112) from Brussels to the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• Jan Devoslei (N186) and the Kiel connecting road (14) on Kolonel Silvertopstraat (N148) with the Bolivar Tunnel / the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• the junction from the Bolivar Tunnel to the R1 in the direction of Ghent;
• E17 in the direction of Antwerp from the Antwerp-West junction;
• E34 with the R1 towards Antwerp.

by

A 7 tunnel construction in Altona: traffic difficulties

The traffic will be reorganised over several consecutive nights, including lane reductions and a night-time closure of the northbound carriageway between the junction HH-Othmarschen (29) and junction HH-Volkspark (27).

From Thursday, July 27, until the first quarter of 2024 at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction
• no left turn for traffic from the direction of Wedel on the A7
– drivers can use the northbound slip lane at the HHBahrenfeld (28) junction.

From 10:00 PM on Saturday, July 29, to 9:00 AM on Sunday, July 30,
• nighttime closure of the northbound/Flensburg carriageway
• from 9:00 PM all junctions between HH-Othmarschen (29) and HH-Volkspark (27) will be closed.
Since no adequate diversion exists at HH-Othmarschen (29), traffic has to be diverted over longer routes!

The following diversions are available:
A wide diversion from the Maschener Kreuz (36) via the A 1, A 21 and B 205 is available for northbound transit traffic.
The official city diversion in the direction of Flensburg starts from the HH-Heimfeld junction (32) via the obligatory diversion U7 via the B 73 and B 75 to the Elbe bridges, further on the B 4 to get to the individual districts or further to the AS HH-Volkspark (27) or AS HH-Stellingen (26) to get back on the A7.

Oversize and abnormal transports:
A waiting zone will be set up on the A7 north of the Elbe tunnel at the HH-Othmarschen (29) junction for vehicles carrying oversize and abnormal loads that have already been approved. Depending on the type of approval, the intention of driving through the Elbe tunnel should be reported as usual by telephone one hour in advance, upon which vehicles can enter the waiting zone north of the Elbe tunnel on the A7. From there, vehicles will be guided through the closed-off section on request!

by

From August 1 Non-UK HGVs need to pay road user levy

The levy amount will be based on:
• vehicle weight as a broad approximation to CO2 emissions
• vehicle air quality emissions standard
• levy duration.

The levy was suspended in August 2020 to support the haulage sector and aid pandemic recovery efforts. Following a consultation in 2022, a new reformed levy will come into effect from August 2023 with a revised structure and rates.

Non-UK registered vehicles

The HGV levy has to paid for vehicles weighing 12,000kg or more and driving on motorways or ‘A’ roads in the UK.It must be paid before entering the UK.Drivers can pay a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly rate depending on how long the journey will last. A day runs from 12:00am (midnight) to 11:59pm that same day. Non-UK HGVs can use the HGV levy payment service now to pay in advance for trips you will make from 1 August onwards.

Rates payable

HGV levy rates for newer vehicles – Euro 6 class or later.

HGV levy rates for older vehicles – Euro 5 class or older.

For UK registered vehicles, both the HGV levy suspension and restart in August will be applied automatically by DVLA.

by

Border checks in Portugal

The Portuguese government has reinstated border checks until 00:00 on Monday, August 7.

The measure is connected with the World Youth Day, which takes place in Lisbon from the 2nd to 6th of August. In addition, access to and movement within Lisbon will be limited from 1-6 August.

by

Romania introduces additional driving bans in response to a heatwave

The bans apply to vehicles with a GVW of over 7.5 t on sections of national roads in selected districts.

he ban is in effect between July 25 and 26 from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on sections of national roads in the districts of Teleorman, Dambovita, Arges, Prahova, Giurgiu, Ilfov, Olt, Dolj, Mehedinti, Gorj, Valcea, Arad, Timis, Caras-Severin, Bacau, Vaslui Vrancea, Galati, Buzău, Brăila, Constanța, Tulcza, Ialomița and Calarasi.

The ban does not apply to:
• passenger transport;
• transport of live animals and perishable products of animal and vegetable origin;
• vehicles involved in emergency operations;
• funeral transports;
• postal transports;
• transport of first aid equipment;
• fuel distribution;
• transport of goods in controlled temperature;
• vehicles towing damaged vehicles;
• transports of water and food to disaster-stricken areas;
• transport of sanitary equipment in the construction industry by specialized vehicles used;
• transports of bottled water;
• transports of farm products;
• military transports taking part in multinational exercises.

by

Quiet zone’ to be trialled on A20 in Kent

National Highways is to trial a ‘quiet zone’ on the A20 near Aycliffe in Kent in a bid to reduce noise pollution when the A20 TAP is holding cross channel freight heading to the Port of Dover.

The ‘quiet zone’ will run along a 1.3km stretch of the coastbound A20 leading up to the Port of Dover from the Courtwood interchange to Western Heights roundabout. HGV drivers will be informed that they should not use their horns between 11:30pm and 7am.

From the end of this week signs will be in place along the A20 to inform drivers of the ‘quiet zone’. National Highways will also be sharing the news with haulage groups and ferry operators, as well as working with Kent police to provide additional visibility and where necessary enforcement. Any HGVs not complying with the signage risk a fine of £60.

The Operation Brock contraflow system is currently also in place on the M20 in Kent ahead of the summer holidays and expected high passenger numbers. All HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at M20 junction 8.   

Any EU-bound HGVs not complying with signage and trying to use another route to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover risk a fine of £300. They will also be sent to the back of the queue by Police or enforcement agents, wasting time, fuel, and money. This includes trying to bypass the M20 by using the M2/A2 at Brenley Corner.  All other coast bound traffic – including local freight and car drivers heading for the continent – should follow the signs and cross over to enter the contraflow on the M20 London bound carriageway.   

by

Kent: overnight closures of the A20

As part of National Highways work to repair and maintain the A20, they will soon be resurfacing between the CourtWood interchange and Western Heights roundabout.

The work will start on the evening of Monday 26th June and finish on the morning of Thursday 27th July and will take place overnight between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am. Work will be conducted on one carriageway at a time.

Closure information:

❗ Monday 26th June to Friday 7th July – full overnight closures of the A20 to coastbound between Court Wood, interchange and Western Heights roundabout from 8 pm until 6 am the following morning.

❗ Monday 10 to Wednesday 19th July and Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 July – full overnight closures of the A20 London bound from Western Heights roundabout to Court Wood interchange from 8 pm until 6 am the following morning.

A diversion will be in place via the B2011 and a256.

❗ Western Heights roundabout will also be closed overnight on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June, and again overnight on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th July