Inland-bound traffic slows as travellers return from coast

It was busier than usual on the Belgian motorways headed inland from the coast, says Peter Bruyninckx of the Flemish Traffic Centre in De Standaard. The post-holiday traffic is expected to reach a peak on SUnday between 17.00 and 18.00.

"Around 10.00 on Sunday morning we already saw the first people heading home via the E40 Ostend-Brussels after a long weekend at the coast," says Bruyninckx. Waves of stop-and-go traffic arose midday between Jabbeke and Aalter, and between Groot-Bijgaarden and the Brussels Ring Road.

Motorists planning to take the E40 inland will need to account for an extra half hour of travel time on average. On the E34 between Knokke and Ostend, motorists should count on an additional 15 minutes of travel time.

The traffic congestion is expected to increase in the coming hours, with a peak between 17.00 and 18.00, and continue until late in the evening, possibly even midnight.