It seems that services have once again been overtaken by events.
Unprecedented traffic congestion was seen on Saturday on roads and motorways around Croatia, creating chaos in traffic. Drivers who embarked on a journey towards the south of Croatia were caught in traffic jams on the A1 motorway to Split which stretched for over 40 kilometres, reports Index.hr on July 17, 2016.
Thousands of vehicles were stuck in these traffic jams, not only on the roads towards the Adriatic Sea, but also on the roads towards the interior of the country, where traffic jams as long as 10 kilometres formed. Although almost all toll booths were open, that did not make the situation any better. It took over 10 hours to drive on a motorway from Zagreb to the southern coastal regions.
Traffic chaos was created despite the appeal of the Croatian Automobile Club (HAK) to drivers to delay their travels until the storm calms down, since it was the storm which was considered to be the main culprit and cause for the congestion. At the foot of the Velebit Mountain, the strongest winds in the last 12 years for this time of year were recorded – up to 148 kilometres per hour. However, the question is whether Croatian Motorways and Croatian Automobile Club could have prevented such traffic jams.
Many passengers complained on social networks that the information published by the Croatian Automobile Club on its website was not completely accurate nor timely updated. Some have complained that they were stuck in traffic jams long before they were announced on the HAK website, while others say they published wrong locations where the congestion was especially heavy. This is why many local drivers, familiar with alternative routes, were angry because they failed to avoid the traffic jams.
Drivers also complained that the police stood at only two positions along the way, while there were no ambulances in sight. Unlike in previous years, no food or water were distributed to driver stuck in traffic jams.
Although HAK did announce a warning to drivers not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary, the question is why they did not go a step further and helped motorists by publishing a list of alternative routes. Fortunately, since HAK did not do it, drivers themselves did and published on social networks reports from the motorways, photos and tips to other drivers how to avoid the worst parts and which alternative routes to use.
