Large jams in prospect as the nation heads to the summer cabin

Midsummer weekend will cause changes in opening hours and transport schedules

print this

It will have started already by the time you are reading this: the Midsummer weekend will bring the year's heaviest traffic congestion and the longest queues to Finland’s roads, especially in the south, though not perhaps as long as those of the trucks trying to cross the Russian border.
     
According to estimates from the Finnish Road Administration, there will be serious congestion on individual stretches of highways over a ten-hour period beginning from this afternoon, with further jams expected on Friday morning and on Sunday afternoon as people return home.
      On the basis of what happened in 2006, the worst outgoing jams are to be expected on Highway 5 between Heinola Lusi and Mikkeli, after Highway 5 ceases to be a motorway.
      FinnRA suggest alternative routes on its website, which also carries full details of traffic volumes and road works, and has roadside cameras to back up the information.
      Another likely black spot for jams will be the archipelago road No. 180 heading out to Nauvo and Korppoo in the Turku Archipelago. There are further bottlenecks in prospect on the western ring road around Tampere, on Road 51 west of Kirkkonummi, and on Highway 1 west from Karjalohja, another example of an “end-of-motorway” situation.
     
Those people who took Thursday off work and set off for the summer cabin on Wednesday were able to travel largely without problems, but FinnRA anticipates that traffic will begin to build up to the usual epic proportions from midday today, Thursday.
      Rail traffic will adhere to normal Friday timetables on Thursday. On Friday, Midsummer Eve, the schedules will conform to the normal Saturday ones, and on Midsummer Day a Sunday service will be in use. A good many departures have, however, been cancelled, so it is worth checking in advance. Sunday 24th will see a normal Sunday timetable.
      Buses and coaches will run to Saturday timetables on Midsummer Eve, but after 14:00 the services will be limited.
     
The same limitations apply to the basics: shops will be open on Friday only until 13:00, and will be closed on Saturday. On Sunday, current consumer goods shops and supermarkets are allowed to open from 12-21.
      The all-important Alko stores will be open today, Thursday, until 20:00, and on Friday from 9-13, after which they will close and bar the doors until Monday morning.
      As with traffic on the roads, congestion is expected at Alko check-outs on Thursday evening and Friday morning.
      Banks will be open normally on Thursday, but closed on Friday and over the weekend.
     
The weather prospects for the holiday can be found from the Finnish Meteorological Institute site linked below. In addition to the map, local weather forecasts from around the country can be accessed by clicking on the town or city in "Select Location".
      Those choosing to stay in Helsinki can look forward to predominantly fair conditions on Friday with highs of 20-23°, but there could be more cloud and possible showers on Saturday. Sunday will be brighter again.


Links:
  Finnish Road Administration portal
  Traffic situation in Southern Finland (FinnRA)
  Finnish Meteorological Institute: 5-day Helsinki forecast

Helsingin Sanomat