Van operators and tradespeople face potentially severe disruption over the Easter bank holiday weekend as the RAC forecasts the busiest roads in three years with more than 19 million leisure journeys planned.
Research conducted with traffic analysts INRIX shows consistent congestion across Thursday 18th, Good Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April, with around 2.7m trips planned each day – creating challenges for any essential trade or delivery operations.
INRIX data indicates Thursday will see traffic increase by nearly a third (30%) more than usual, with hotspots including the M25, M6 and routes to the West Country experiencing significant delays.
For van operators who need to maintain delivery schedules or complete jobs, the worst affected areas include the 35-mile anti-clockwise stretch of the M25 between Gatwick Airport and the M40 junction, where delays could exceed an hour around mid-day.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “But while getaway journeys may be shorter in length, we’re still expecting to see extremely high levels of traffic from Thursday onwards, with the greatest number of Easter getaway trips planned for three years. Drivers shouldn’t expect to escape the queues if they don’t plan the best time to set off. It’s always best to travel as early as possible in the morning or later in the day when most of the traffic has eased, especially if headed to popular holiday destinations such as the West Country, Scotland or Wales.”
For tradespeople and delivery drivers traveling to or through Kent, National Highways’ Operation Brock contraflow system will remain in place throughout the Easter weekend until 22nd April, with lorries directed to a specific lane at Junction 8 of the M20.
The Port of Dover is also expecting significant volumes, with Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister noting: “Looking ahead to the bank holiday weekend, we’re forecasting a busy day on Thursday when we expect around 5,000 cars, and Friday 18th with around 5,500 cars heading on their holidays from early morning until lunchtime.
“We’d like to remind passengers to travel to the port by the main routes only and arrive no more than two hours ahead of their scheduled sailing.”
