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The customary festive classic from Chris Rea is “Driving Home for Christmas”. But over the coming weekend millions of motorists may find another tune from the ageing crooner more appropriate: “The Road to Hell.”
During the weekend before Christmas on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, there will likely be heavy traffic congestion on the M25, M1, and M6 highways. The M25 clockwise, specifically between the M23 for Gatwick and M40 for Birmingham, is expected to experience peak traffic with delays of up to an hour on Saturday, December 23rd.
The RAC, a motoring organization, estimates that drivers will take 21 million trips during the Christmas holiday season.
The day of Friday, December 22nd is expected to have heavy traffic due to a combination of holiday drivers, daily commuters, and truck drivers sharing the roads.
Due to Christmas falling on a Monday, numerous drivers who are working throughout the week will likely travel on either Saturday or Sunday.
According to Alice Simpson, spokesperson for RAC Breakdown, due to Christmas falling on a Monday this year, drivers do not need to take time off work for holiday trips as they can travel over the weekend before.
Due to this, our study indicates that these days will have the highest traffic volume, therefore we advise individuals to depart as early as they can on both Saturday and Sunday.
A survey conducted by the driving organization reveals that 60% of all holiday trips will be squeezed into the three days leading up to Christmas.
During the dates of December 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, those who are operating a vehicle can anticipate high levels of traffic between the hours of 12pm and 2pm, known as the “lunch crunch.”
There is expected to be a significant increase in road traffic due to the extensive railway maintenance closures. Both Paddington and King’s Cross, two major intercity train stations in London, will be shut down on December 24th.
According to Inrix, a company specializing in transportation analytics, the M25 clockwise west of Greater London can expect delays of approximately 40 minutes on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
There will be significant delays on the M1 north between Woburn and Daventry, and the M6 south from Wigan to Stafford, outside of the capital city.
On Saturday, December 23rd, there is expected to be heavy traffic on the A303 going west towards Stonehenge. This road is frequently used by people from London who are traveling to Devon and Cornwall.
Traffic on the roads and highways leading to major airports is anticipated to be particularly heavy on December 22 and 23.
According to a study from The Independent, Friday may be the busiest Christmas day ever for London Heathrow and other airports, while Manchester and London Stansted are anticipating the most passengers on Saturday.
Source: independent.co.uk
