Second wave of Easter getaway traffic to arrive as 27m hit the road
Around 15 million leisure car journeys are expected to be taken in the run-up to Good Friday, with a further 12 million across the bank holiday weekend itself, new figures from the RAC show.
Research of drivers’ travel plans* suggests that while tomorrow (Monday) will be particularly busy with some 4.7m individual getaway trips by car taking place, there is expected to be sustained levels of leisure traffic in the run-up to Good Friday, a day when there are around 4.4m journeys expected to be taken by road.
Traffic data from mobility analytics provider
INRIX indicates that jams will peak on Good Friday, with major routes clogging up between 11am and 4.30pm. The worst delays on this day are expected on the M5 southbound, passing west of Bristol (J16 to J19) – part of the popular holiday route towards Devon and Cornwall – the M25 anticlockwise from Bromley (J4) through the Dartford Tunnel to the A13 (J30), the M6 north between Preston (J31) and Lancaster (J34), and the M62 west between Leeds (J27) and Manchester (J18) where delays of around an hour are expected.
Fortunately for drivers, 99% of the motorways and major A-roads in England will be free of roadworks, with Highways England removing more than 450 miles of cones in time for the Easter bank holiday.
RAC Traffic Watch spokesperson Rod Dennis said:
“This week we’re expecting a significant second wave of Easter getaway traffic, following that which we saw at the start of April when schools broke up. This will mean the coming week and the bank holiday will likely be characterised by lengthy queues in some spots.
“Traffic jams are frustrating at the best of times and while we can predict where some of these will crop up, it only takes a single bump or breakdown for huge tailbacks to form.
"But there’s a lot drivers can do to reduce the likelihood their car will fail them, and in fact a lot of the breakdowns our patrols attend are completely avoidable if drivers had checked over their cars before they set out. Wrongly inflated tyres, or those with a lack of tread, along with low oil and coolant levels and even a lack of fuel are all typical breakdowns at this time of year. It’s therefore vital motorists spend a few moments checking these things before getting behind the wheel.”
Dan Croft, Incident Group Operations Manager at INRIX, said:
“Drivers in the UK are all too familiar with traffic jams. In fact, the average UK driver lost more than 170 hours to congestion last year. During peak hours over Easter, journeys could take UK drivers three times longer than usual. We are predicting Good Friday will be the worst for traffic from late morning into the afternoon. For drivers looking to avoid the worst congestion, the best options are to travel on Saturday, set off early in the morning and keep updated with real-time traffic data.”
Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Martin Young, said:
“After what’s been a rather cold month so far, temperatures are going to rise this week with plenty of warm, dry and sunny weather to start off the Easter weekend. It’ll be very warm for the time of year in many parts of the UK on Friday and Saturday, with many places in the south seeing temperatures above 20 Celsius. Things will probably turn more unsettled later in the long weekend, with cooler weather starting to arrive on Sunday from the northwest.”
Highways England’s customer service director Melanie Clarke said:
“We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Easter and that’s why we’re keeping around 99% of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.
“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”
At-a-glance: Easter traffic
Estimated 11.9m leisure trips by car between Monday 15 and Wednesday 17 April
Date
Leisure trips by car
Worst times to travel on major roads
Best times to travel on major roads
Expected longest delays on major roads (breakdowns or collisions can significantly increase journey times across the road network)
Thursday, 18 April
3.4m
Between 2.30pm and 7pm
Before 11am or after 9pm
M25 clockwise J8 to J16: 57-minute delay from 1.45pm M25 anticlockwise J20 to J11: 50-minute delay from 4.30pm
Good Friday, 19 April
4.4m
Between 11am and 4.30pm
Before 9.30am or after 7pm
M62 west between J27 and J18: 56-minute delay from 12.45pm M6 north between J31 and J34: 39-minute delay from 3.30pm
Saturday, 20 April
2.8m
Between 11am and 2pm
Before 9.30am or after 5pm
A303 west between Amesbury and Chicklade: 22-minute delay from 11.15am M4 west between J22 and J29: 17-minute delay from 5.15pm
Easter Sunday, 21 April
2.8m
Between 11am and 12.30pm
Before 10am or after 3.30pm
M25 anticlockwise between J20 and J11: 17-minute delay from 12pm A303 west between Amesbury and Chicklade: 13-minute delay from 12pm
Easter Monday, 22 April
2.2m
Between 12.30pm and 2.30pm
Before 10.30am or after 6.30pm
M25 clockwise between J8 and J16: 22-minute delay from 2pm M25 anticlockwise between J4 and J30: 21-minute delay from 2.15pm
Data sources: INRIX and RAC
In full: roads with the longest expected delays
Date and region
Road
Peak congestion from
Travel time (mins)
Total delay (mins)
Thursday 18 April
Greater London
M25 clockwise J8 to J16
1.45pm
91
57
Greater London
M25 anticlockwise J20 to J11
4.30pm
88
50
East Midlands
M1 north J21 to J26
2.45pm
81
49
West Midlands
M6 south J20 to J16
7.45am
64
39
South West
M5 south J16 to J19
4.15pm
27
17
Good Friday, 19 April
North West
M62 west J27 to J18
12.45pm
85
56
North West
M6 north J31 to J34
3.30pm
62
39
North East
A64 north Fulford to Barton Hill
1.30pm
47
32
Greater London
M25 anticlockwise J4 to J30
11.45am
44
30
South West
M5 south J16 to J19
11.45am
30
21
Saturday, 20 April
South West
A303 west Salisbury Road to A350
11.15am
51
22
Wales
M4 west J22 to J29
5.15pm
38
17
North East
A64 north Fulford to Barton Hill
12pm
33
14
Greater London
M25 clockwise J20 to J28
12.45pm
46
13
Easter Sunday, 21 April
Greater London
M25 anticlockwise J20 to J11
12pm
42
17
North East
A64 north Fulford to Barton Hill
11.30am
31
13
South West
A303 west Salisbury Road to A350
12pm
40
13
Greater London
M25 clockwise J8 to J16
11.45am
45
11
Scotland
M8 east J29 to J15
11am
13
3
Easter Monday, 22 April
Greater London
M25 clockwise J8 to J16
2pm
54
22
Greater London
M25 anticlockwise J4 to J30
2.15pm
40
21
West Midlands
M6 south J20 to J16
6pm
43
20
South East
M3 north J14 to J7
2.15pm
30
11
North East
A64 north Fulford to Barton Hill
4.45pm
25
10
Top tips for avoiding - or just coping - with the jams
1
Think carefully about when you’re travelling
Most traffic queues are caused by too many cars on the same roads at the same time. If you can travel outside the peak times – think early in the morning or later in the evening – you can easily miss them.
2
Make sure your car, and anything you are towing, are up to the job…
Many breakdowns are avoidable – punctures for instance can be caused by a tyre that is in poor condition or not inflated properly. Check oil and coolant levels as if these run low you could be in for an unwelcome breakdown and a big repair bill.
3
…and make sure you and your passengers are as well
Hungry, thirsty or tired passengers are recipes for in-car irritability – and ‘carguments’. So when setting out, pack enough food and water to keep your passengers happy, and plan in enough breaks along the way.
