Drivers heading off for Easter getaways face a “hat-trick of hold-ups” as the four-day weekend coincides with the end of the holidays for many schools.
Traffic will be “equally severe”, the RAC said, on Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday, with an estimated 2.7 million leisure trips by car planned across the UK each day.
More than 19m leisure journeys are planned between Thursday and Easter Monday, including 6.2m that drivers intend to make during the period but are unsure on what day.
The Easter weekend is three weeks later than in 2024, which the AA said on Friday would “bump up bank holiday traffic by 15%” as many people hope for warmer weather.
Delays of more than an hour are expected on Thursday on the 35-mile stretch of the M25 from junction 7 for Gatwick airport to junction 16 for the M40, the transport analytics company Inrix said.
It also highlighted the M6 north of Chester and the M25 clockwise towards Godstone, Surrey, as likely traffic hotspots that day.
On Good Friday, the lengthiest hold-ups are expected to be between 11am and 1pm.
Drivers using two popular routes to the south west – the A303 in Wiltshire and the M5 southbound from Bristol – are being warned of long queues, particularly during that period.
The RAC’s breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson urged drivers to expect “extremely high levels of traffic” from Thursday onwards.
She said: “The late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter break for many schools, which we think will change the nature of this year’s getaway.
“Although journey numbers are still very high, we’re anticipating more day trips and weekend breaks than people heading off on one and two-week stints. This could lead to a hat-trick of hold-ups on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as drivers visit family and friends.
“Drivers shouldn’t expect to escape the queues if they don’t plan the best time to set off. It’s always best to travel as early as possible in the morning or later in the day when most of the traffic has eased, especially if headed to popular holiday destinations such as the West Country, Scotland or Wales.”
The Port of Dover said it expected to process about 5,500 cars embarking on outbound ferry sailings between 6am and 1pm on Good Friday.
The traffic management system Operation Brock, which involves narrow lanes and a reduced 50mph speed limit, will be in place in Kent until 22 April. It is designed to manage traffic flows on the M20, with lorries heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel directed to a specific lane.
On the railways, Network Rail is conducting engineering work in several locations this weekend, causing disruption to a number of routes. The most significant impact will be at London Euston, where there will be no services to or from Milton Keynes on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
The tourism authority VisitEngland said about 10.6 million British adults were planning to take a holiday in the UK over the bank holiday period.
The aviation analytics company Cirium said 11,282 flights were scheduled to depart from UK airports between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Source: theguardian.com
