Five cows disrupt A1 motorway during evening rush hour

Five cows brought rush-hour traffic on the A1 to a standstill after straying onto the motorway near Rolle at around 7pm on Thursday. They headed towards Lausanne, prompting a closure in the direction of Morges as police worked to bring the animals under control.

The incident unfolded on the busy stretch between Geneva and Lausanne, near Aubonne and Morges. Vaud cantonal police confirmed the unusual episode to Keystone-SDA on Friday after it was reported by 20Minutes. Motorists faced slow-moving traffic and tailbacks while the cows made their way along the carriageway.

Police described the episode as “fortunately rare”. The disruption continued into the evening, with the motorway closed towards Morges for one hour and 15 minutes. Traffic returned to normal at about 9:15pm, according to a police spokesperson.

The cows crossed several points on the route before the incident ended near Morges. Police said the animals first strayed onto the A1 near Rolle, left the motorway, then returned to the carriageway near Aubonne and Allaman. From there, they continued towards Morges.

That movement brought the disruption across a stretch of the motorway connecting the Lake Geneva region’s main centres. The A1 was closed in the direction of Morges while the animals were brought under control. The closure lasted one hour and 15 minutes, and traffic had returned to normal by about 9:15pm.

The route described by police helps explain why the incident affected more than one point on the carriageway. Drivers encountered slow traffic and tailbacks as the cows moved along the motorway. Police confirmed the account to Keystone-SDA on Friday morning.

Four cows were collected by their owner in the Morges area. Police said the fifth was found later, off the motorway, at around 11pm. The animals had travelled from the Rolle area towards Morges, leaving motorists caught in the evening congestion as police handled the incident.

No collision occurred, and nobody was injured. Police said neither motorists nor cows were hurt. Heavy traffic, with the slow-moving queues typical of that time of day, helped prevent the situation from becoming more serious, according to the cantonal police.

The staggered recovery meant the operation continued after traffic had returned to normal at about 9:15pm. The final cow was located nearly two hours later. Police characterized the episode as “fortunately rare”, while confirming that the animals’ escape had caused significant disruption on the motorway.

Traffic was back to normal at about 9:15pm, but the final cow was not found until around 11pm. The owner collected four animals in the Morges area, and police said the fifth was located off the motorway later that evening.

The incident closed the A1 towards Morges for one hour and 15 minutes and caused slow-moving traffic and tailbacks during the evening rush. Police reported no accidents and no injuries to people or animals. The congestion helped keep the cows and motorists safe, according to the Vaud cantonal police.

The motorway disruption affected the route between Geneva and Lausanne, with the cows moving from near Rolle back onto the carriageway near Aubonne and Allaman before continuing towards Morges. By the time the last animal was found, normal traffic had resumed. Police described the event as “fortunately rare”.