You may remember the viral video in which a passenger says to HRT: "Well, what do you think? It's not crowded, it's a disaster," while waiting in line to cross border crossing.
Further answering the reporter's question, he says that he is from Belgrade, and while she asks him if he deliberately chose Friday to avoid crowds, he says: "On Fridays, people always screw up when they go, don't they? Every Friday is an exception. Stay out of the highway on Fridays (Avoid the highway on Fridays.)”, he continues.
He goes on to ask whether it is about the cult film Mad Max, and then asks the reporter team what they are cooking, where are their caps, stating that it would be good to introduce vignettes.
The interview took place more than 10 years ago, but many who cross the borders of Serbia and surrounding countries could find themselves in a similar scenario.
Perhaps unlike him, who does not seem so nervous in front of the cameras, but makes a joke, many are nervous hours of waiting.
Where are the crowds the most?
There are big crowds at the borders these days, just like at the end of every summer.
A few days ago, the worst was at the Batrovci border crossing between Croatia and Serbia, where they are passenger vehicles waited for six hours, according to data from the Border Police Administration.
And on Wednesday (August 27), according to the cameras of the Automotive Association of Serbia (AMSS), there is a big crowd at the same crossing, and according to the latest information, the delays are about 180 minutes for passenger vehicles leaving Serbia and about half an hour for entering the country.
According to the latest data, truck drivers who are waiting to leave Serbia stay at this crossing for about five hours.
Truck drivers have a slightly better time at the Šid crossing with Croatia, where they have to wait for about two hours, while drivers of passenger vehicles wait for about 30 minutes.
Is it better on integrated crossings?
Those returning from vacations in Greece may be hoping that the integrated border crossing between North Macedonia and Serbia will await them without major crowds.
A look at the AMSS cameras shows large crowds at the Preševo - Tabanovce crossing between Serbia and North Macedonia, but according to official data, the delays are around 30 minutes.
This border crossing is integrated, which means that the border police of both countries sit together, which should save time that was previously wasted on double control.
In the opposite direction, at the exit from Serbia to North Macedonia, there is less traffic, and the wait is about half an hour.
Hungarians have a standard
Many who once traveled to Hungary are probably already prepared in advance that they will have to wait a few hours at their neighbors' place.
According to current data, there is also a crowd at the exit from Serbia to the northern neighbor, and the wait is about 30 minutes.
The AMSS reminds that the time spent at the Hungarian terminals should be added to this detention time, which is often much longer compared to the detention time at the Serbian crossings.
"The speed of passage is greatly influenced by the procedure and way of working of the border authorities at our neighbors, which additionally contributes to several hours of detention, therefore add the time required to pass through their terminals as well," it is stated on the website of the AMSS.
According to Hungary, there are several alternative border crossings besides the main and busiest Horgos crossing, and at some of them the working hours are extended during the summer.
According to the data from the website boarding alarm, at the Horgos - Roške crossing, the wait to enter Hungary is about two hours, while in the opposite direction the wait is much shorter - about 10 minutes.
