Following a statement released by Highway England revealing that 98% of roadworks will be lifted or completed by 6am GMT Friday 20th this holiday season, whilst this should free up over 80-0 miles of road, delays are still expected.
So that you can spend the holiday celebrating rather than cursing in traffic, Green Motion are providing you with a detailed script of roads to avoid over Christmas. If you have a rental during this period and expect to be delayed in collecting your rental vehicle, then please contact the Green Motion location you are renting from directly (contact details provided on your booking confirmation).
Unfortunately, the rail networks have been unable to provide the same reassurance as Highway England as passengers are advised to plan ahead during the holiday season to avoid any strikes or engineering works. No trains run on Christmas Day, 25 December, and it is normal for only a few to run on 26 December.
If you have made plans to use the railways over the Christmas season perhaps consider the use of rental vehicle to complete journeys and avoid expected disruption to train lines, Green Motion UK have locations at all major airports, cities and many central railway locations – www.greenmotion.com/locations
According to the RAC over 31 million trips will be made over the next 7 days with today and tomorrow announced as the worst 48 hour period to travel, this is said to be due to the mix of commuters and Christmas travellers. Voyagers are told to expect ‘’bumper to bumper’’ traffic on motorways and major A roads.
Despite claims that 98% off roadworks will be removed to accommodate increased traffic levels, 43 miles on the M4 between junction six, near Slough, and junction 12 near Reading will still be undergoing work to update this section to a smart motorway. This is also the case for 20 miles of the M62 near Manchester and 19 miles of the M6 near Stafford.
Below are the roadworks that are due to stay in place over Christmas:
Road | Miles | |
M4 J6 to 12 (near Wokingham) | 43 | |
M62 J10 to 12 (near Manchester) | 20 | |
M6 J13 to 15 (near Stafford) | 19 | |
M27 J4 to 11 (near Southampton) | 16 | |
M1J13 to 15 (near Milton Keynes) | 15 | |
M6 J2 to 4 (near Birmingham) | 14 | |
A14 J31 to 24 (near Cambridge) | 11 | |
M23 J8 to 10 (near Gatwick) | 10 | |
M4 J3 to 4B (near Hayes) | 8 | |
M20 J3 to 5 (near Maidstone) | 8 |
When are the roads expected to be busiest?
Here are some of the most congested times to travel in the run-up to the big day –
Thursday (19th): 15:00 - 19:00
Friday (20th): 12:00 - 19:00
Saturday (21st): 10:00 - 15:00
Sunday (22nd): 10:00 - 16:00
Monday (23rd): 10:00 - 15:00
Tuesday (24th): 14:00 - 18:00
Friday morning (20th) is expected to hold delays on the M6 between Birmingham and Wolverhampton whilst the afternoon after 16.00pm is said to be the peak time to travel, drivers have been advised to avoid commuting at this time especially if traveling on the M5 between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare.
Saturday (21st) and Sunday (22nd) should witness heavy congestion on the M1 between Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Travellers have also been warned that delays are likely to occur over this same weekend in western and northern sections of the M25 around London.
Below are some estimated delays based on previous years intelligence, as reported by the BBC –
Road | Delay | Time from: | ||
M5 Cheltenham to West Bromwich | 33 | 14:00 Thursday | ||
M25 Hatfield to Chelmsford | 56 | 19:15 Thursday | ||
M25 Maple Cross to Thorpe | 48 | 20:00 Thursday | ||
M6 Birmingham to Wolverhampton | 57 | 08:15 Friday | ||
M25 Thorney to Watford | 46 | 14:15 Friday | ||
M1 Northampton to Watford | 43 | 15:45 Friday | ||
M40 Banbury to Bicester | 42 | 13:15 Saturday | ||
M1 Flitwick to Daventry | 37 | 14:15 Saturday | ||
M1 Flitwick to Daventry | 97 | 12:00 Sunday | ||
M25 Warwick Wold to Tatling End | 58 | 12:15 Sunday | ||
M5 Almondsbury to Bridgwater | 48 | 15:30 Sunday | ||
M40 Gaydon to M42 Umberslade | 41 | 18:45 Sunday | ||
M25 Thorney to Watford | 69 | 14:45 Monday |
All information in this article was extracted from the BBC news website.
Credit: BBC News