Map reveals the traffic hotspots to avoid on the busiest May bank holiday in FOUR years
Drivers are expected to make more than 16 million leisure journeys by the time the Bank Holiday weekend comes to a close on Monday
IT'S almost inevitable that a Bank Holiday getaway goes hand-in-hand with hours stuck in gridlocked traffic.
And for Brits keen to escape this upcoming long weekend, road congestion is predicted to reach levels not seen in four years.
has suggested motorists will make some 16.5 million leisure journeys from Friday to late Monday, an increase of more than one million trips compared to the same time last year.
The rise, which is also an increase of 2.5 million journeys on those made over the 2015 Bank Holiday period, has largely been attributed to warmer weather forecasts ,with some of the worst affected congestion areas expected to centre around seaside destinations.
The automotive services company has predicted routes headed towards Brighton, Great Yarmouth, Blackpool and Swansea will cause the most headaches for holiday makers in search of water, while stretches of road from Exeter to Cornwall and Bristol to Taunton will also see significant backlog.
Anyone planning on heading away on Friday is likely to miss the worst of the weekend traffic, with an extra 3.4 million journeys expected to be made, while trips made between 11am and 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday will almost certainly be met with significant traffic.
Understandably, after midday on Monday will be the busiest time on our roads as more than five million journeys are made by Brits returning home from weekend trips, as well as those heading off to get a jump-start on the half-term break.
RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “The late Easter has meant there’s been something of a bank holiday bonanza this year, with up to four days off in the space of just six weeks.
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"But that’s not stopping UK drivers from taking to the road for a leisure trip this coming weekend, especially as the weather at the start of the weekend at least is set to be dry, sunny and very warm for much of the country.
“While we’re expecting leisure journeys to reach a peak on bank holiday Monday – families setting off for a half term trip or taking a day trip to the coast – drivers should be warned that the roads are likely to see significant congestion on Friday 26th May as getaway traffic and everyday commuter traffic combines.
ANTICIPATED WORST TRAVEL TIMES FOR LATE MAY BANK HOLIDAY
- Friday 26th May: Between 1pm and 8pm
- Saturday 27 May: Between 11am and 4pm
- Sunday 28 May: Between 11am and 4pm
- Monday 29 May: Between 1pm and 6pm
"We’re expecting it to be bumper-to-bumper from Friday lunchtime onward on some of the country’s most popular routes.
“We expect the vast majority of roadworks on motorways and major A-roads to be either put on hold or completed in time for the weekend which is good news for drivers but sometimes it only takes a single incident for delays to develop on parts of the road network that are prone to congestion."
On Wednesday, The Sun Online revealed the popular British coastal areas subject to an increase in parking fees over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.
The report found that motorists heading to the seaside could find themselves paying as much as five times more for daily parking if they failed to reserve their spot ahead of time.