The AA estimates 19.7 million car journeys will be made across the UK on Boxing Day with traffic busiest between 10am and 7pm
Motorists have been warned to brace themselves for a post-Christmas Day traffic surge as millions plan to hit the roads for family visits or shopping. The AA predicts that a staggering 19.7 million car journeys will be made across the UK on Boxing Day, with this figure set to rise to 22.0 million come Saturday.
A poll of over 10,000 AA members revealed that the primary reason for festive car travel is to visit family and friends, with 60-63% of respondents citing this as their main motive for journeys planned during the 11 days leading up to and including Monday, January 5.
Hot on the heels of family visits are shopping trips, accounting for 47-52% of journeys, while work-related travel makes up 27-29%. For Boxing Day, nearly half (49%) of those surveyed said they’ll embark on a car journey of up to 50 miles, with a further 9% planning to venture even further.
The RAC and transport analytics firm Inrix have pinpointed potential congestion hotspots in the coming days, including:
– The M25 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 16.
– The M25 anti-clockwise from Junction 17 to Junction 12.
– The M40 northbound from Junction 8A to Junction 10.
– The M1 southbound from Junction 16 to Junction 6.
– The M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A.
With traffic levels predicted to peak between 10am and 7pm, drivers are being advised to hit the road outside these hours if possible.
Looking ahead to New Year’s Day, the AA estimates there will be 18.0 million car trips, slightly lower than the expected total of 18.3 million for Christmas Day. However, traffic volumes are anticipated to bounce back quickly, climbing to 20.7 million on Friday, January 2, and 22.0 million on Monday, January 5, as countless motorists head back to their workplaces and children return to school.
Southern drivers face ongoing disruption with the M27 motorway remaining shut in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 until 4am on Sunday, January 4, due to essential engineering works. The closure is affecting journeys linking Southampton and Portsmouth.
AA expert patrol Shaun Jones commented: “Throughout the festive season we see a real mix of activity on the roads. “Visiting family, picking up shopping and getting back into work all keep people moving locally, even when the long-distance trips are few and far between.
“New Year’s Day stands out as the quietest moment in the whole period, giving drivers a rare chance to avoid congestion. But the calm is short-lived. By January 2, traffic rebounds fast as work and school return, and breakdown call-outs rise sharply.”
Motorists staying put during the festive break are urged to prepare their vehicles for the new year by inspecting tyres, batteries, screenwash and fuel levels.
National Highways confirmed it removed more than 90% of roadworks from its English motorway and major A-road network by 6am on December 21, with no reinstatement until the early hours of January 2.
The strain on Britain’s roads will be intensified by significant rail service disruption persisting for multiple days. As is customary, the entire network will be closed on Christmas Day and most operators will not run trains on Boxing Day.
Engineering projects by Network Rail on several sections of the West Coast Main Line will disrupt journeys to and from London Euston between Saturday and January 4, as well as trips between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to January 14 inclusive.
In other parts of the network, there will be no services running between Stansted Airport and Cambridge North, or between Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge, up until and including January 3.
London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest stations, will be closed to trains until the end of Sunday, and will operate a reduced timetable until the beginning of January 5.
In Scotland, services between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, and between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, will only recommence on January 2. Network Rail has stated that approximately 95% of Britain’s railways will remain unaffected by engineering work over the festive period.
