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Motorists are being advised about potential traffic congestion during the Easter holiday period, with an estimated 18.5 million car journeys expected as school vacations begin.
Travelers embarking on their trips should expect potential delays starting on Thursday, March 28th when students finish school for the term. These delays may continue into Good Friday, and one expert has cautioned that it could lead to “carmageddon” for those trying to leave for their vacations.
The upcoming travel situation is expected to be better than in 2023, as there were major strikes and rail maintenance that caused the cancellation and delays of many flights and trains during the Easter holiday weekend.
The RAC projects that there will be 14 million car trips this year, whereas The AA predicts the number could increase to 18.5 million.
New data from the top two roadside assistance companies in the UK presents a contrasting outlook on when peak traffic will occur.
According to research conducted by the RAC and INRIX, Good Friday may result in significant delays.
There will be heavy traffic from 11am to 3pm due to high numbers of vacationers on two popular routes: the M5 going south from Bristol to Taunton and the M3 from the M25 to the south coast. These routes are expected to experience longer delays due to extensive traffic, ranging from approximately one hour and 48 minutes to two hours and 18 minutes, which is about two times longer than normal.
According to the AA, this Saturday (March 30th) will have the most car traffic, while Easter Sunday and Easter Monday will be relatively calm. Despite an estimated 16 million cars on the road, those two days are expected to be the least busy.
“We can anticipate long lines of traffic on the way to popular destinations such as the West Country, the Lake District, and the south coast, especially during the busiest times of the day when most individuals are traveling,” stated Alice Simpson, spokesperson for RAC Breakdown.
“Although many drivers have not committed to a specific date, the number of cars on the road may exceed expectations if the weather becomes favorable.”
She suggested that individuals should try to either delay their departure on Thursday, March 28 until later in the evening or leave early on Good Friday in order to have a smoother trip, as opposed to traveling during the busiest times of the day.
Andy Butterfield, Customer Services Director for National Highways, stated that due to it being the initial bank holiday of the year, there will likely be a high volume of people on the roads seeking to take advantage of a prolonged weekend.
TfL has verified that scheduled shutdowns will occur on the Elizabeth line, sections of the London Overground, DLR, and London Trams from 29 March to 1 April.
Glynn Barton, the chief operating officer of TfL, stated that essential safety improvements and service upgrades were the cause of the disturbance. However, he assured that the majority of the network will still be in operation during the Easter weekend.
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