Since yesterday, 2 June, France has been experiencing major disruption to its roads and ports as a result of the ongoing farmers’ protests and dockers’ strikes. Hauliers are being warned to expect difficulties at ports and the Franco-Spanish border today as a result of the ongoing strikes.
Port workers in several major French ports, including Le Havre, Marseille-Fos, Rouen, Bordeaux and Nantes/Saint-Nazaire, have launched a series of strikes. These strikes will last until the end of June and include 22 four-hour stoppages, four 24-hour stoppages and one day of total blockade of port access.
The immediate effects of these strikes include longer unloading times for import containers, difficulties in loading export containers and significant waiting times at port terminals.
In addition to the disruption at the ports, France’s road networks are facing significant challenges as a result of the farmers’ protests. Traffic restrictions have been put in place on the A9 motorway and are expected to continue throughout the day. Similar difficulties are expected on the A63 motorway near Biriatou.
The transport company Vinci has urged people to avoid travelling on these routes, especially to Spain, in order to reduce the impact of these disruptions.
The protests have also affected traffic at border crossings between France and Spain. The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) in Spain has warned of possible traffic disruption at several key border crossings on 3 June. These include the AP-8 in Guipúzcoa, the AP-7, N-152 and C-38 in Girona and the N-330 in Huesca. In the event of blockages, traffic may be diverted to alternative routes.
The French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has also announced a ban on heavy traffic on the RD934 between the towns of Gère-Bélesten and Laruns from 8am until the end of the protests. These measures are intended to manage and reduce the impact of the demonstrations on cross-border traffic.
