Get set for road and rail chaos as Xmas getaway starts today
THE Christmas getaway began last night as an estimated 1.3million drivers took to the roads in an attempt to beat weekend traffic misery.
Motorists were warned to expects jams lasting more than four hours today amid predictions that at least 20million will make car journeys over the festive period.
Rail works and strikes are expected to add more pressure to roads already clogged with shoppers and delivery drivers.
The annual getaway for families has come early this year as most schools have now broken up for Christmas.
Traffic is expected to peak tomorrow with more than 13million expected to make car journeys of at least 20 miles.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘ We strongly urge drivers planning long journeys to avoid this day if they possibly can.’
Predicted black spots include a 65-mile stretch of the M6 from Haydock in Merseyside to Gailey in South Staffordshire, where drivers could face delays of more than four hours today.
Parts of the M1 in Bedfordshire and Leicestershire are also expected to experience jams lasting more than an hour, according to the traffic analysis firm Inrix.
The AA’s Vince Crane said the roads would be harder hit this year with Christmas falling on a Monday. He added: ‘Many drivers may hope that journeys would be spread across the weekend, but it means more days of traffic as the getaway from work on Friday is followed by the last major shopping opportunity on Saturday and visits to friends and family on Sunday.’ Network Rail’s £160million engineering project is likely to cause significant disruption as 32,000 workers tackle 260 projects across the country, closing or restricting major stations and lines. The works – mainly in London and the south east – are scheduled to start on Saturday and continue until January 2.
Inrix said traffic peaked last year at around 5pm on the Friday before Christmas day, with more than 300 jams recorded. The worst was a ten-mile queue on the A5 off the M1 that lasted more than five hours.
Highways England is lifting 400 miles of roadworks this year to ease disruption.
The weather is unlikely to result in serious travel difficulties as the forecast for Christmas is largely mild, although the Met Office has said fog and wintry showers may cause problems for some.
Chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: ‘The early signs are that most of us will have a green Christmas rather than a white one and there’ll be some rain around. There may be some wintry showers in the North.’
More than 4.5million people are expected to go abroad over Christmas and the New Year. Heathrow is expecting 1.7million departing passengers during the period.