Rush hour’s back for the busiest day on the roads

TRANSPORT use surged across England yesterday as millions took advantage of the latest easing of lockdown rules.

Traffic was up in major cities, while Transport for London (TfL) reported an increase in demand for Tube and bus services. Road journeys at 8am in the capital took an average of 42 per cent longer compared with free-flow conditions, according to location technology firm TomTom.

That is up from 32 per cent at that time on April 6, the first working day of last week.

Other cities to experience rises over the same period included Brighton (22 per cent to 28 per cent), Birmingham (22 to 27 per cent), Bristol (25 to 33 per cent), Manchester (27 to 37 per cent) and Leeds (23 to 51 per cent).

Stephanie Leonard, head of traffic innovation and policy at TomTom, said: ‘This morning’s data shows a significant increase in traffic congestion on the roads, a sign that Covid-19 rules have eased across England.

‘This could demonstrate that while we are slowly beginning to return back to normality with non-essential retail opening, driving still remains the chosen choice of transport as we continue to navigate through the pandemic.’

RAC Breakdown spokesman Simon

Williams said: ‘Monday looks like being the busiest day of the year so far on the roads as drivers take advantage of the further easing of restrictions.

‘Our research shows 2.3million leisure trips were planned, with many packing their cars for a late Easter staycation.’

TfL reported that between 11am and noon, demand across the Tube network was 41 per cent up compared with the same period on April 6. The increase at stations serving shopping areas such as Oxford Street and Westfield Stratford City was 125 per cent. Demand for buses up to 10am was up 15 per cent compared with April 6.

Ticket retailer Trainline reported that bookings for rail travel this week are up 52 per cent from last week, and 135 per cent on the week beginning March 15.