AMSTERDAM, 11/11/06 - Tailbacks on Dutch motorways increased by 8.1 percent between January and September compared with the same period last year.

It looks as though the increase for the full year will be even higher. This is because traffic-jams surged by 29 percent in October from the same month in 2005. In previous years, there were increases of 4 to 6 percent, the Traffic Information Service (VID) reported.

The VID cites the growing number of road-users as the major cause of the tailback problem. Bad weather and road-works play a much less significant role, according to a spokesman.

On the A1 between Amsterdam and Amersfoort, tailbacks surged by 36 percent. This road heads the list of the top 10 roads with the most congestion. Second comes the A12 between The Hague and Utrecht, followed by the A2 between Utrecht and Den Bosch.