Motorways to become car parks ahead of Easter, warns RAC
The RAC is warning of “carmageddon” ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend, saying that some motorway journeys could take twice as long as usual.
Easter travel chaos is looming thanks to the sheer number of drivers hoping to make a holiday getaway during the first bank holiday weekend of 2024.
More than 14 million trips are expected to be made between Thursday and Easter Monday, the motoring organisation said.
The RAC estimates that just under two thirds of all British drivers “will be making a leisure journey on major roads at some point” over the Easter weekend.
Traffic volumes will be well below the 21½ million road journeys over the same weekend in 2022, however.
Transport analytics company Inrix forecast that Thursday will see traffic volumes peak in the afternoon and early evening as holidaymakers mingle with commuters driving home.
The busiest roads are set to be the western half of the M25 between the Gatwick turnoff in the south and the M1 junction in the north, the M5 between Bristol and Taunton and the whole of the M3 between London and Southampton.
M25 delays could see a 60-minute drive taking more than two hours on Thursday afternoon, the RAC warned, with journey times on the M5 set to double by lunchtime on Good Friday.
RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “With Easter falling earlier than usual at the start of the school holidays, it could be carmageddon for holidaymakers.
“Anyone who can delay leaving on Thursday 28 March until much later in the evening or set off as early as possible on Good Friday is likely to have a better journey than those who travel during the peak periods of the day.
“Lengthy queues can be expected along routes to the usual hotspots like the West Country, the Lake District and the south coast, especially during the middle of the day when most people make trips.”
Bob Pishue, a transport analyst at Inrix, said: “Although travel times will peak on Thursday and Friday afternoons, drivers should be prepared for longer journeys than normal throughout the entire weekend.
Andy Butterfield, customer services director at National Highways said: “This is the first bank holiday of the year, so we expect the roads to be busy with people looking to make the most of a long weekend.
“We encourage people to plan ahead and prepare their cars in advance for long journeys as this can help reduce the risk of breakdowns.”
Engineering works will be taking place on the railways during the Easter weekend.
Avanti West Coast said it “strongly recommends” passengers do not travel on its trains between 29 March and 1 April because Euston station will be closed. Replacement buses will connect to Bedford, where services are running into London St Pancras.
Chiltern Railways cautioned that passengers “may need to stand for substantial parts of their journey” if catching a train between London and Birmingham.
