Morning and evening rush hours have returned to the roads as schools reopen and residents head back to work following the summer holidays.
Many drivers report leaving home earlier in the morning and driving more cautiously to deal with the renewed congestion.
A municipal cleaner driving a refuse truck noted that while roads were easy to navigate earlier in the season, the increase in vehicles is now clearly visible.
Commuters adjust to delays
Drivers say they are readjusting to the daily delays on their routes across the region.
One motorist noted that a commute that usually takes 45 minutes now takes a full hour, requiring better planning and earlier departures to arrive on time.
The impact varies somewhat by location. One frequent driver noted that while traffic in the northern region remains manageable, the heavy congestion is concentrated in the Randstad.
Pre-summer traffic levels
National road authority Rijkswaterstaat confirmed that the current congestion represents the typical traffic volumes seen before the summer break.
According to the transport agency, these standard rush hour conditions were particularly evident across the Amsterdam region over the past two days.
