Millions of drivers are expected to hit the roads over the subset bank holiday weekend. Weather reports suggest that temperatures could soar over the long weekend with arms of the country hitting over 30 degrees Celsius. It could be bad news for drivers as the influx of motorists is expected to cause delays which could be hour-long in some areas. Traffic is expected to build over the course of the day and spike at other times this weekend.
Between Friday and Saturday there is expected to be a whopping 9.4million trips and on Monday there will be around 3.7million separate journeys.
Customers using the rail network have also been warned of delays with the reduced services on part of the rail network and the closure of London King’s Cross.
Congestion on the UK’s road network its expected to build between 11:00 BST and 18:30.
Data from transportation analytics specialists INRIX suggests that some of the biggest delays will include the M25 anticlockwise (between J1 and J4) and the M6 north (between J18 and J24) on Friday, and the M6 south (between J27 and J13) on Monday.
As a result delays on the M25 clockwise are expected to be around 55 minutes.
Motorists on the M6 north between Chester and St Helens is expected to experience similar delays.
There are expected to be around 21-minute delays between Cheshire and Liverpool on the M6 North on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday afternoon there could be problems on the M25 between Gatwick Airport and the M40 which could also around 26-minutes.
Between Wigan and Stafford on the M6 southbound there could be bad traffic with hour delays on Monday from 14:15.
RAC patrol of the year Ben Aldous said: “For many people, this coming weekend is the last chance to enjoy a long weekend this side of Christmas – and with the weather improving that’s likely to mean a lot of cars on the road heading to popular tourist destinations.
“A lot of the breakdowns we expect to see this weekend are preventable, so it’s vital drivers check over their car before setting out.
“Tyres with plenty of tread and properly inflated are far less likely to cause drivers problems, and it’s crucial that oil and coolant are at the right levels too. All are quick, easy things to check and can save drivers the hassle of a breakdown at the roadside.”
“Bank holidays have historically been one of the busiest times for road trips, and this year drivers could even see record-level travel delays,” says Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX.
“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic.”
Melanie Clarke, Highways England’s customer service director, said: “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible and that’s why we’re keeping 97 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.
“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”
Worst times to travel
- Friday 23rd – 11:00 – 18:30 Friday
- Saturday 24th – 10:30 – 14:00 Saturday
- Sunday 25th – 12:30 – 14:00 Sunday
- Monday 26th -12:00 – 14:30 Monday
Best time to travel
- Friday 23rd – After 9pm
- Saturday 24th – After 4pm
- Sunday 25th – Before 10.30am, after 6.30pm
- Monday 26th -Before 11am, after 6pm
Roadworks staying in place between Friday and Monday include:
- M4 J7 to J12 (near Wokingham and Reading) – 32 miles
- M6 J13 to J15 (near Stafford) – 18 miles
- M20 J2 to J7 (near Maidstone) – 16 miles
- M27 J4 to J11 (near Southampton) – 15 miles
- M1 J13 to J15 (near Milton Keynes) – 15 miles
- M6 J2 to J4 (near Birmingham – 14 miles
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