Drivers are being warned to expect long delays as millions of people embark on bank holiday getaways this weekend.
The RAC said it expects 16 million motorists to make a leisure trip by car between Friday and Monday.
Transport analytics company Inrix warned that journeys on most major routes across the South and South West will take an average of 50% longer than usual on Friday afternoon.
Parts of the North West, East Anglia and South West are likely to be hardest hit by traffic returning home on Monday.
Drivers wanting to avoid the worst congestion are being urged to travel before 9am or after 5pm throughout the bank holiday period.
The RAC said that since coronavirus travel restrictions ended the number of drivers planning leisure trips during Early May Bank Holiday weekends is “well above” the previous average of 14 million.
It commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 UK motorists which suggested 39% of those driving over the long weekend will spend a day with family and friends, 14% intend to go shopping and 8% have planned a short break with loved ones.
RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “With Covid travel restrictions a thing of the past, catching up with friends and family is still the first priority for nearly half of drivers making leisure trips over the bank holiday.
“Since 2022 – the first full year since mobility restrictions lifted – drivers appear to be much more eager to make the most of the May Day weekend, with the total number of getaway trips this year far exceeding the average since 2017.
“We’re anticipating a crescendo of cars on the road over the weekend with as many as three million motorists making leisure trips on Saturday alone.
“In addition to the majority of motorists planning day trips and short breaks, our data shows local routes to city and out-of-town shopping centres could see heavy traffic, so it’s best to head out early morning or evening if possible.”
Inrix transportation analyst Bob Pishue said: “Although delays won’t be as severe as Easter, drivers should expect the lengthiest hold-ups on major roads to and from popular destinations this weekend.
“Delays will likely peak on Friday afternoon with some areas seeing usual travel times double as holiday drivers vie for space on the roads with commuters.”
Meanwhile, journeys on Britain’s rail network will be disrupted due to engineering work and industrial action.
Network Rail said it will carry out 487 projects over the bank holiday period.
On Sunday, no trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes or between Glasgow and England due to work on the West Coast Main Line at Crewe, Wigan and other locations.
There will also be disruption over the weekend in Cambridge, Coventry and Liverpool.
Network Rail’s system operator director Anit Chandarana said: “The vast majority of the railway will be open for business as normal.
👷♀️ We regularly carry out planned engineering works – to give you a better railway in the long term. 🛤️
❓ But what are these planned works, typically? And how do they ultimately benefit you? 🤔
Find out:
➡️ https://t.co/5mBPJmg9uH#BankHolidayTravel #MayRailWorks pic.twitter.com/NsdbWhYIYz
— Network Rail (@networkrail) April 29, 2024
“We know people want to travel by train and not replacement bus, and we do our best to fit as much work as we can into these closures to minimise the impact on passengers and freight customers.
“The work this month will see new track laid on one of the busiest mixed-use railway in the world – the West Coast Main Line – along with work to replace worn out equipment at junctions at Crewe.
“We’ve also got more work to build a new station at Cambridge South, which will play a key role in developing the city and its new biomedical campus in a sustainable way.”
Train drivers who are members of the Aslef union will stage three one-day strikes across different operators between May 7 and 9, meaning some parts of the country will have no rail services on those days.
The union has also announced an overtime ban from May 6-11, which is expected to cause short-notice cancellations.
Aslef is embroiled in a near two-year dispute over pay, with no talks held for more than a year.
– The RAC commissioned research company FindOutNow to conduct its survey last week.
