by More than 14 million holiday journeys are expected for Easter and drivers are being warned that journeys could take twice as long as usual.
The RAC has warned of an inevitable surge in traffic ahead of the bank holiday weekend, which coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for many schools.
Rail travel will also be affected as Network Rail carries out engineering work, with the southern section of the West Coast Main Line closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
With Easter falling earlier than usual at the start of the school holidays, it could be carmageddon for holidaymakers
Alice Simpson, RAC
Tourism board VisitEngland said around 11 million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2 billion boost to the economy.
The RAC and transport analysis company Inrix commissioned a survey which suggested that 2.6 million leisure journeys were made by car on Good Friday.
Around 2.3 million getaways are planned for each Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, and 2.0 million are expected to take place each Easter Thursday and Monday.
A further 3.3 million Easter leisure trips have been planned by motorists who are not sure exactly what day they will travel, leaving around 14.5 million free trips between Easter Thursday and Monday.
Inrix predicts that the worst congestion will be on Thursday between 2pm and 7pm as people on leisure trips compete for road space with regular commuters.
The busiest route is expected to be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick and the M1 for Hertfordshire.
Journeys on this stretch from 4pm are expected to take over two hours, more than twice as long as usual.
On Good Friday, the longest delays are expected to be between 11am and 3pm, meaning motorists are advised to leave as early as possible in the morning or wait until later in the afternoon.
Two popular routes for holidaymakers – the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast – are likely to be congested, with journey times expected to be more than double what they usually are. .
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 until much later in the evening or leave as early as possible on Good Friday is likely to have a better journey than those traveling during peak times of the day.
“You can expect long queues on the routes to the usual spots like the West Country, the Lake District and the south coast, especially in the middle of the day when most people make trips.”
To avoid the longest delay, we recommend adjusting departure times so that you are not traveling during peak commuting hours
Bob Pishue, Inrix
Bob Pishue, Inrix transport analyst, said: “While there will be peak travel times on Thursday and Friday evenings, motorists should be prepared for longer journeys than usual throughout the weekend.
“To avoid the longest delay, we recommend adjusting departure times so that you are not traveling during peak commuting hours.”
The AA advised motorists to carry out “a few simple checks” on their car before going on Easter journeys.
Chris Wood, AA patroller of the year, said: “Easter is the first opportunity for many people to see their family and we expect the roads to be busy.
“Before you go on a long journey it is important to check your car. Take 10 minutes to check your oil, coolant and windshield washer levels.”
Network Rail is urging train passengers to check their journey details before they travel as some major routes will be closed due to engineering work.
Tourism businesses and destinations will be looking to the crucial Easter weekend for much-needed cash flow after the winter months, so it’s heartening to see so many of us planning a holiday at home.
Patricia Yates, VisitEngland
The Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be closed for four days from Good Friday.
There will also be disruption in the areas around Glasgow and Huddersfield.
Network Rail’s director of network strategy, Laurence Bowman, said: “We know how important Easter is for families and friends to catch up with, and we try to keep as much of the network open as possible.
“There’s never a good time to do the work we need but the four days of the bank holiday, when fewer people are travelling, gives us the opportunity to do a lot of work that we couldn’t do on a normal weekend.
“We are carrying out 493 different works this Easter, most of them taking place overnight, including laying over 8,000 meters of new track and laying down over 40,000 tonnes of new ballast to support the tracks .”
Patricia Yates, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “Businesses and tourism destinations will be looking to the crucial Easter weekend for much-needed cash flow after the winter months so it’s encouraging to see so many of us planning vacation at home.
“We also know from our latest research that the cost of living is always a concern and while people still want to take a break, many are booking late, taking shorter breaks, trying to save money save on accommodation, activities and eating out, emphasizing what’s going on. challenges for the industry.”
– The RAC and Inrix survey of 2,136 adults in the UK was carried out by research firm Find Out Now last week.
