Stuck on the A36 because of the snow: “We were told that people would pass with coffee, we are still waiting”

Thursday night and Friday morning were difficult for thousands of truck drivers and motorists. The snowfall, then the cold snap of the early morning, blocked traffic on a portion of the A36 motorwaygenerally between Belfort and Montbéliard, heading south. The prefecture of the Eastern Defense and Security Zone has banned the circulation of heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes on the A36 in both directions, between Mulhouse (68) and Saint-Vit (25), until 2 p.m. The vehicles concerned are parked in the storage areas. By mid-morning, the Doubs prefecture announced that 2,500 to 3,000 heavy goods vehicles were stuck in these areas or along the highway. But heavy goods vehicles entered the highway despite the ban. Traffic gradually resumed at the beginning of the afternoon this Friday.

Although the departments of Doubs, Haute-Saône and Territoire de Belfort are on orange alert for snow and ice, drivers were surprised by the scale of the phenomenon and its consequences. Some criticize the authorities for not having given enough warning.

“We weren’t really told where it was blocked, so we got involved”

Dominique, a trader, was returning from Belfort when he was surprised by the snow on the highway, from 9 p.m., Thursday. He spent the night in his vehicle stopped on the A36. “We weren't really told where it was blocked on the highway, so we got involved,” he explains to France Bleu Besançon, “we wanted to go out to Voujeaucourt and then in Voujeaucourt it was over, we couldn't ride anymore. We were told that there would be people passing by with water, coffee, we're still waiting. We don't see anyone, we don't see any DDE, we don't see any police, we don't see anyone (…) We turn the cars around. Fortunately I refueled the car just before taking the highway.”

“I didn’t understand why they didn’t block the access roads”

Damien was going to work early this morning, and he took the highway to Belfort. As a result, at noon, it had been 5 a.m. since he had moved. “I didn't really understand why I was able to access the highway only to be blocked, 5 km later. The road was still quite clear so it went relatively well. And then, trucks upon trucks and then traffic jam, and then stopped since 5 a.m.

For Damien, the authorities should have installed barriers to prevent access to the A36. “I’ve been traveling back and forth to Belfort-Montbéliard for thirteen years”he adds, “This is the first time I’ve come across a situation like this.”

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