Christmas traffic: Worst roads for congestion revealed

The A34 in Hampshire, between the A33 and M3, is expected to have the worst traffic jams during the festive period this year, according to new research.

Analysis of ONS data, from HGV recruitment and training specialists Driver Hire, has looked at road congestion data from 2017-2020 to reveal which of the UK’s major routes typically see drivers spending the most time stuck in delays.

The company also looked at planned road works listed on One Network between now and the end of the year, around the most congested areas, to see which roads could potentially face more delays than they do on average.

While the A34 is expected to have the highest delays, on average, it’s closely followed by Junction 1 of the M4, in Houndslow.

An estimated 27 million trips by car to see friends and family between December 17 and Christmas Eve are being predicted, with it expected to be the busiest getaway on the roads in five years

Analysis by RAC and Inrix suggests there will be an extended getaway in the run-up to Christmas, with an average of 4.1m such journeys taking place every day next week, culminating in most leisure journeys by car – some 5.3m – taking place on Christmas Eve.

Richard Owen-Hughes, Driver Hire’s group marketing director, said: “Over nearly 40 years in the industry we’ve learned that the Christmas period is always the busiest period of the year for logistics. This year the economy is booming, and it looks more likely that we’ll be able to drive home to spend time with friends and family this Christmas. So we wanted to see which roads typically face the most congestion and are best avoided where possible.

“It’s maybe not surprising to see where some of the hotspots are – around London, the South Coast, the West Midlands and in the Northwest. We are sure people living in these areas are more than familiar with slow journeys on these roads. Still, we hope people find this research useful in planning their journeys this festive season.”

The Top 20 Most Congested Roads to avoid this Christmas: