Summer has begun, and with it - the usual ritual of waiting for the south. At the Bogorodica border crossing toward Greece, kilometre-long queues of vehicles formed today, with columns stretching all the way to the Greek crossing at Evzoni. The road to the Aegean beaches again runs through hours of waiting under a scorching sun.

The reasons are familiar: the start of the tourist season, weekend departures toward the Greek coast, transit travellers from other countries, and border procedures on both sides that slow the flow. The result is the same every summer - vehicles standing still, engines overheating and nerves fraying.

The authorities appeal to drivers for patience and careful driving, and recommend preparing with water and protection from the high temperatures. As an alternative, the Dojran crossing is mentioned, where the crowds are usually smaller and the waiting time shorter.

The crowds at Bogorodica are so predictable they've almost become part of the Macedonian summer like the sea itself. The question no one officially asks is simple: if the same scene repeats every summer for decades, why is the capacity of the busiest crossing to the south still not solved? Drivers' patience is evidently cheaper than investing in lanes.