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How to plan a smooth journey across Denmark’s Great Belt Bridge this Easter

The Local Denmark
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How to plan a smooth journey across Denmark’s Great Belt Bridge this Easter
Avoiding peak times and registering for automatic toll payment can help you save time queuing on the Great Belt Bridge this Easter. File photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

The Easter holidays mean extra traffic on Danish motorways, not least on the Great Belt Bridge, the link between the eastern and western halves of the country. Here’s how to plan a smooth journey this Easter.

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Traffic forecasts for the upcoming Easter public holidays predict that the busiest day of the period will comfortably be Maundy Thursday (April 6th), according to Sund&Bælt, the company which operates the Great Belt Bridge (Storebæltsbroen, to use its Danish name).

Most drivers will cross the bridge between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, the first of the three weekday public holidays over Easter.

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As well as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (April 7th) and Easter Monday (April 10th) are public holidays.

Both Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are also expected to be busy on the bridge, with motorists returning home from Easter trips. On these days, the heaviest traffic is forecast between 12pm and 4pm.

Toll booths on the bridge will be given additional staff for the periods during which peak traffic is expected, Sund&Bælt says. However, they may still be some additional queuing at these times.

Queuing time can be reduced by registering for automatic payment, given that queues for the card and cash payment lanes are generally longer.

There are two ways drivers can use the green “Ekspres” toll lanes on the bridge. One is by using a card key called a “bizz” which registers a crossing and then automatically draws payment from a linked bank card.

The other is by registering your vehicle for number plate detection. This way, the toll gate reads the number plate on your car and charges your card, pre-registered to the number plate.

The advantage of using bizz compared to number plate registration is that it can be used in multiple vehicles.

Motorists can register for either option (and check details such as payment card information are up to date) here.

Sund&Bælt advises ensuring your number plates are clean before setting off. Some weather conditions – particularly rain – can make it more difficult for the machines to read them.

If your number plate is not read, the barrier will not go up. You will then be able to speak to a member of staff who can register your number plate manually.

Even if you are able to use the “Ekspres” automatic payment lanes, there is still likely to be queuing at the busiest times, according to the manager of Sund&Bælt’s toll facility Jens Kjær Nielsen.

“It’s very difficult to avoid when many people travel at the same time,” he said in a press release.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about travel to, from and around Denmark this Easter

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