This year’s Easter holidays will see more than 20 million cars on the UK’s roads, with traffic forecasts for Thursday (April 13) and Easter Monday showing a 20% increase in the average number of cars being driven, according to Inrix.

With peaks set to reach 28.4% above average traffic levels at 5pm, up 30% on last year, Thursday (April 13) will be the busiest getaway day this Easter bank holiday, with drivers setting off early for the long weekend.

The worst affected roads on Thursday will be the major motorways, with some journeys taking as much as three times longer than on an average during the evening.

Drivers between junctions 9 and 21 on the M25 (both ways) should expect delays of up to 1 hour and 30 minutes, extending a typical journey from 40 minutes to over two hours, with the average speed falling to 17 miles per hour.

Drivers heading in both directions on the M6 and southbound on the M5 towards the West Country on Maundy Thursday should be prepared for delays of almost an hour and average speeds of less than 25 miles per hour.

Those driving on Thursday are advised by Inrix against using major roads between 4pm and 6pm to avoid the worst delays; but those that do need to travel during these times should seek alternative routes, as the shortest distance will not always be the fastest.

With major roads expected to experience peaks of 8% above average traffic levels by 1pm on Good Friday, drivers are advised to avoid roads during 10am and 2pm.

“With UK drivers spending an average of 30 hours in congestion last year, motorists are no stranger to sitting in traffic,” said Graham Cookson, chief economist and head of research at Inrix.

“We expect significant delays over the Easter period due to a combination of factors, including the regular post-work peak, the start of the school break, people travelling on holiday, railway engineering works and tube closures.

“Our advice to drivers is to consider alternative routes or avoid peak times altogether. By checking live traffic data drivers can ensure they reach their destinations in good time.”

Major motorway journeys may take twice as longer than usual; particularly on the M25 between J9 and J21 which will see delays of up to 55 minutes around lunchtime extending journey times from 40 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes.

With many shops expected to be closed, Easter Sunday remains the quietest day for cars on the road, with 25% less vehicles expected compared to an average Sunday. 

For those choosing to drive back home on Easter Monday, Inrix advises avoiding travelling between 12pm and 5pm, with journeys expected to take up to twice as long as usual during this period. In particular, the M6 between J22 and J16 Southbound is expected to see delays up to 40 minutes on a route which usually takes 30 minutes on an average Monday afternoon.

Railway engineering works and tube closures will impact traffic levels

There will be significant disruption on train lines this Easter with major engineering works on services to/from London Cannon Street, London Charing Cross, and London Liverpool Street.

Train services throughout South East London will be affected and planned closures on major Tube lines, including the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Victoria lines, will likely contribute to a higher number of vehicles in and around the capital, especially on major routes like A205.

Works between London Liverpool Street and Ingatestone and London Liverpool Street and Wickford will see increased traffic on the A127 and on major routes in and out of the capital such as A12 and A13.

Outside of London, engineering works and amended services will cause traffic delays on major routes between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street, Birkenhead North and Liverpool Central, Bath Spa and Glasgow Central, York and Blackpool North and Church Fenton and Leeds/Selby.   

Volume increase/decrease of vehicles on UK roads over the Easter period

Day	Percentage increase/decrease (number of vehicles)
Maundy Thursday	20% increase
Good Friday	15% increase
Easter Saturday	10% increase
Easter Sunday	25% decrease
Easter Monday	20% increase

Thursday, April 13 - UK’s most delayed routes, average journey times and suggested alternative routes 

Maundy Thursday
Route	Dist. (Miles)	Travel Time	Delay	Av. Speed (mph)	Normal travel time	Worst Time	Alternative Routes
M25 between J9 and J21 (both directions)	39	2h 10m	90 mins	17	40 min	3:30-5:30PM	Non-M’way routes
M6 between J16 and J22 (both directions)	30	1h 20m	50 mins	22	30 min	3:00-5:00PM	A34/A50
M5 Southbound between J14 and Weston-super-Mare	29	1h 15m	45 mins	23	30 min	3:30-5:00PM	A-roads around Bristol
M4 Westbound between J2 and J13	48	1h 35m	45 mins	30	50 min	3:30-5:30PM	M3/A329M

M25 A/C between J4 and Dartford Tunnel	10	0h 55m	40 mins	11	15 min	4:00-5:30PM	A2 / Blackwall Tunnel
M8 Eastbound between J16 and J8	7	0h 40m	30 mins	11	10 min	3:00-5:00PM	M74/M73
A34 Northbound between Abingdon and M40	18	0h 50m	30 mins	22	20 min	3:30-5:00PM	A419 & A429
M60/M62 between J8 Carrington and J20 Rochdale	17	0h 50m	30 mins	20	20 min	4:30-6:00PM	M60/A627M
A303 Andover to Amesbury Westbound	12	0h 45m	30 mins	16	15 min	3:30-5:00PM	A36 and A338
M74 between J4 and J5 Southbound	3	0h 25m	20 mins	7	5 min	3:00-4:30PM	A724/A725
M3 between J2 and J8 Southbound	36	0h 55m	20 mins	39	35 min	4:30-6:00PM	A30
M1 between J6 and J12 Northbound	18	0h 40m	20 mins	27	20 min	3:00-5:00PM	A1M
A55 Westbound between Chester and Conwy	40	1h 00m	20 mins	40	40 min	3:00-4:30PM	None
A1 Southbound between Gosforth Park and Chester-le-Street	15	0h 35m	20 mins	26	15 min	3:30-5:00PM	A19 Tyne Tunnel

Easter getaway - best and worst times to travel on Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday 

Day	Best Time to Travel	Worst Time to Travel
Maundy Thursday	Between 10am and 12pm	Between 4pm and 6pm
Good Friday	Before 10am and after 2pm	Between 10am and 2pm
Easter Monday	Before 12pm and after 5pm	Between 12pm and 5pm

Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Monday 

Good Friday
Route	Dist. (Miles)	Travel Time	Delay	Av. Speed (mph)	Normal Travel Time	Worst Time	Alternative Routes
M25 between J9 and J21 (both directions)	39	1h 35m	55 mins	24	40 mins	11:00AM - 1:00PM	Non-M’way routes
M6 between J16 and J22 (both directions)	30	1h 10m	40 mins	25	30 mins	11:30AM - 1:30PM	A34/A50
M4 Westbound between J2 and J13	48	1h 30m	40 mins	31	50 mins	11:00AM - 12:30PM	M3/A329M
M5 Southbound between J14 and Weston-super-Mare	29	1h 05m	35 mins	27	30 mins	12:30PM-2:30PM	A-roads around Bristol
M25 A/C between J4 and Dartford Tunnel	10	0h 45m	30 mins	14	15 mins	11:30AM - 1:30PM	A2 / Blackwall Tunnel
Saturday
Route	Dist. (Miles)	Travel Time	Delay	Av. Speed (mph)	Normal Travel Time	Worst Time	Alternative Routes
M25 between J9 and J21 (both directions)	39	1h 25m	45 mins	27	40 min	11:30AM - 1:30PM	Non-M’way routes
M5 Southbound between J14 and Weston-super-Mare	29	1h 10m	40 mins	24	30 min	11:30AM - 2:00PM	A-roads around Bristol
M4 Westbound between J2 and J13	48	1h 30m	40 mins	32	50 min	11:00AM - 12:30PM	M3/A329M
M6 between J16 and J22 (both directions)	30	1h 05m	35 mins	27	30 min	12:00PM-2:00PM	A34/A50
M25 A/C between J4 and Dartford Tunnel	10	0h 35m	20 mins	17	15 min	11:30AM - 1:30PM	A2 / Blackwall Tunnel
Easter Monday
Route	Dist. (Miles)	Travel Time	Delay	Av. Speed (mph)	Normal Travel Time	Worst Time	Alternative Routes
M6 between J16 and J22 (Southbound)	30	1h 10m	40 mins	25	30 min	3:30-5:00PM	A34/A50
M6 Southbound J37-J34	20	0h 55m	35 mins	22	20 min	2:30-5:00PM	A6

A303 Amesbury to Andover Eastbound	12	0h 45m	30 mins	16	15 min	2:30-4:30PM	A36/ A338
M25 Dartford Crossing (b/ways)	10	0h 45m	30 mins	14	15 min	2:00-4:00PM	A2/A12 & Blackwall Tunnel
M4 Eastbound between J5 and J2	12	0h 30m	15 mins	23	15 min	3:30-5:00PM	A4