Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock
Drivers are being urged not to travel on major routes for six hours on Friday and Saturday, with record levels of Christmas holiday traffic expected to cause long queues on Britain’s roads.
The RAC and the transport analytics company Inrix predicted a total of 29.3m festive journeys would be made between Wednesday and Christmas Eve, the most since the RAC began recording the data in 2013.
On Friday and Saturday, roads are likely to be busiest between 1pm and 7pm.
Hotspot areas where queues are expected include the M3 between its junction with the M25 and the south coast, the M25 anticlockwise between its junctions with the M1 and the M23, and the M53 from Chester to Liverpool.
About 3m leisure trips by car are planned for Friday, with a further 3.7m on Saturday, the RAC said after surveying 2,100 UK adults. Getaway traffic is expected to peak on Christmas Eve, with 3.8m planned journeys.
Alice Simpson, a RAC spokesperson, said: “Our research suggests that with Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, many drivers will be squeezing in their getaway trips right up until the big day itself.
“While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, snarl-up Saturday looks particularly challenging, as does Christmas Eve. Travelling outside peak hours might be the only way drivers miss the worst of the jams.”
A separate RAC poll of 1,074 adults found 53% of people said they were planning such journeys by car because it gave them more flexibility and convenience.
More than a third (35%) said their journey would take too long via public transport, while 34% said public transport was not a practical option because they were travelling with several people or would have lots of luggage.
National Highways said more than 95% of roadworks on its network of England’s motorways and major A roads would be lifted from 6am on Friday and would not be reinstated until 2 January.
This includes 45 miles of roadworks on the M1, which were put in place while additional emergency smart motorway stopping areas were installed.
Andrew Butterfield, National Highways’ customer service director, said: “With more people expected to travel during the festive period and recent storms causing widespread disruption, it’s crucial for drivers to plan ahead and exercise extra caution on the roads.
“To help make journeys smoother, we’re removing roadworks on 95% of the roads we manage.”
Rail engineering work is also expected to lead to more pressure on the roads, with several lines closed over the festive period.
London Liverpool Street station will be closed from Christmas Day until 2 January. London Paddington will also be closed between Friday 27 December and Sunday 29 December.
There will be no direct services between Crewe and Liverpool, and a reduced service between Crewe and Manchester, from Saturday 28 December until Friday 3 January.
Services in the Cambridge area will be disrupted between Friday 27 December and Sunday 5 January, and no trains will run between Harpenden and London from Saturday 21 December to Sunday 29 December.
There are also fears that staffing shortages at train operators will cause disruption.
