Hot weather and the closure of major rail routes are likely to bring more cars on to the roads for the bank holiday weekend, with traffic on Saturday expected to peak around lunchtime on popular tourist routes to the coast.
The number of Britons taking a domestic short break is tipped be the highest ever for an August bank holiday, as temperatures reach record highs.
The motoring organisation RAC and the traffic information supplier Inrix forecast there would be 16.5m leisure journeys on UK roads over the holiday period. The longest delays on Saturday were predicted to be on the M25 anticlockwise in Kent, and northbound M6 south of Liverpool.
Although the worst of the getaway traffic was expected on Friday, motorists departing on Saturday were advised to get away early to avoid traffic, according to the AA.
A spokeswoman said 62% of drivers it surveyed expected to be on the roads on Saturday, but the weather could increase that number. “More people tend to head out to local beauty spots and coasts, and rail closures may also encourage more people to drive instead.”
Traffic is expected to peak again on Monday evening, with returning holidaymakers and crowds departing at the end of large-scale events. Major public gatherings this weekend include the Notting Hill carnival in west London; the Edinburgh festival fringe; Reading and Leeds festivals; Manchester Pride; and Creamfields, near Warrington in Cheshire.
Highways England said it was keeping 97% of England’s motorways and major A-roads free from roadworks this weekend.
Network Rail has issued a “final reminder” to passengers of widespread engineering, urging them to check before they travel, with 448 engineering projects planned over the weekend.
Rail passengers are being urged to avoid the east coast mainline this weekend, with the train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) issuing a “do not travel” warning for the route between London and Scotland via York on Saturday and Sunday. London King’s Cross station will be closed as part of a major project that will prevent any trains running between London and Peterborough.
A spokesman for the operator said: “We’ve tried to get the message out regarding the closure of King’s Cross, but there will still be those turning up expecting services.”
Track replacement work near Macclesfield and Milton Keynes will also reduce the number of trains departing and arriving at London Euston on Virgin trains via the west coast mainline. Major upgrade work is taking place in Newark, Nottinghamshire, affecting East Midlands Railway’s Lincoln services to and from Leicester and Nottingham.
Network Rail said the disruption was planned for the holiday weekend as far fewer people used the railway compared with normal working days.
A survey by the tourism agency VisitEngland indicated that 8.6 million people in Britain were planning an overnight trip in the UK this weekend. This is up from 7.3 million for the August bank holiday in 2018 and the highest since the research began in 2012.
The VisitEngland director, Patricia Yates, said: “We are hearing from many destinations and tourism businesses that they are experiencing a strong summer with late bookings also on the rise this year.
“The certainty of budgeting for a holiday at home, the ease and convenience and the quality on offer are all contributing to people choosing to take more domestic trips, spreading the benefits of tourism across the UK.”
