UK drivers handed urgent August bank holiday getaway warning | UK | News
Since the August bank holiday period is expected to take place in the UK 17.6 million escape trips, drivers are warned about long delays on large routes.
Rac, who published the warning, called on the drivers as early as possible or “ready to spend longer in traffic”.
South East and South West is expected to have some of the worst blockage.
RAC is expected to make approximately 3.0 million journeys for holidays or daily trips by drivers who want to make the best use of the last long weekend in the UK, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This Saturday rose to 3.4 million, Sunday, 2.4 million and 2.7 million on Monday.
RAC said that 6.1 million drivers plan a leisure trip between Friday and Mondays.
The figures are based on responses to the survey of 2,080 British adults extracted to 34 million cars licensed in the UK.
The Transport Analytics Company predicted that the M5 between Inrix, Bristol and Devon would have the most severe escape traffic, and to see more than 40 minutes of delays on Friday and Saturday, until the 23rd Junction, from Junction to 23 north of Bristol.
The waiting for half an hour is estimated in the M20 in the City on Friday, which is a route taken by a large part of the vehicles that make channel transitions via Dover or Folkestone.
The warning is about traveling from Junction 7 to Junction 3 (Addington Junction) and Junction 1 in Swanley to Junction 5 in Aylesford.
Rac Mobile Service and Repair Team Leader Nick Mulender said: “This bank holiday is the last opportunity to enjoy a long weekend before Christmas.
“More traffic on roads, especially if the sun looks like and people decide to visit popular destinations, it will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns.
“We expect large roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the Southeast and South-West regions that can carry the burden of waiting for holidays.
“Everyone who plans routes in these areas should be as early as possible or should be ready to spend longer in traffic.”
In the meantime, railway passengers are warned that some big ways will be closed for engineering activities because the network rail carries out 261 projects throughout England.
On Sunday, there will be no long-distance services between London King’s Cross and Peterborough, and will disrupt Lner and Lumo’s Anglo-İskoç journeys on the East Coast main line.
Avanti West Coast will offer a reduced and modified service from London Euston and London.
Between Saturdays and Mondays, there will be no service between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
The affected Avanti West Coast and Crosscountry services will be directed, expanding the journey times, London Northwestern services will only go to Birmingham International.
Network Rail’s Chief Network Operator Helen Hamlin said: “As the August Bank approached the holiday weekend, we carefully planned our engineering activities to minimize the interruption, and allowed people to trust in the railway and to benefit the best at the end of the summer bank holiday weekend.
“Although the vast majority of the railway will work, it is unfortunately inevitable to work in some parts of the network because we have completed the major work to support a better, more reliable railway that we cannot complete a normal weekend.
“That’s why we want passengers to check their journey in advance to ensure that their routes are not affected.”
