Congestion warning on major routes ahead of May bank holiday weekend

The RAC and transport analysts Inrix are warning of a potential ‘double dose of delays’ on Friday and Saturday (May 23 and 24).

Predicting almost 18 million leisure trips over the May bank holiday weekend, they are expecting 3.4 million on both days respectively.

This figure drops slightly to 2.7 million on Sunday (May 25), increasing to 3 million on bank holiday Monday (May 26) for the start of half-term.

An additional 5.4 million getaway journeys may take place at some point throughout the bank holiday weekend, although drivers are unsure exactly when they will set off.

With most getaway trips due to begin before lunchtime, the research suggests the best times to hit the road will be very early in the morning or into the evening to avoid congestion.

A majority (68%) of drivers say they’ll head off at some point between 5am and 12 noon – 14% plan to leave between 5am and 8am, almost a third (30%) intend to travel mid-morning between 8am and 10am, and a further quarter (24%) will set off later between 10am and 12 noon. 

Traffic is expected to fall significantly later in the day, with those that can, advised to leave their journeys as late as possible.

According to the RAC’s analysis, just 3% of motorists are planning trips between 7pm and 11pm following the evening rush hour. 

The M25 is expected to bear the brunt of the worst delays. On Friday (May 23) the M25 anticlockwise from J4 to J1 near the Dartford Crossing may see lunchtime journeys delayed by more than 45 minutes compared to normal.

Later in the day, the M25 anticlockwise between Cobham services (J10) and Clacket Lane services (J6) may face queues of 35 minutes longer at 5pm during the evening rush hour.   

Elsewhere, multiple routes connecting the West Country to the rest of the UK are expected to carry the lion’s share of journeys on Saturday (May 24).

Stretches of the A30 westbound towards Okehampton, the M5 southbound to Bridgwater and the A303 westbound past Stonehenge may suffer hold-ups of up to 55 minutes more than usual. 

RAC Mobile Mechanic Aaron Bryan said: “While Devon and Cornwall remain some of the most popular destinations for summer getaways, many other major routes across the country could be hit by increased traffic – not least the M25 which so many drivers use to reach the coast and the South East.

“These stretches are likely to be equally as busy on Friday 30 May when drivers use the same roads for return journeys.” 

With the bank holiday weekend marking the start of the school half-term break in many parts of the UK, there’s little reprieve for drivers travelling home back on Friday 30 May, when return journey times are expected to increase across the country by more than a third (35%).