Bank holiday traffic warning | Some journeys to take three times longer

The busiest late May bank holiday on the country’s roads since 2019 is being predicted, with an estimated 19.2 million motorists planning a leisure trip over the weekend.

Analysis by the RAC and Inrix suggests that Saturday, Sunday and Monday (May 27, 28 and 29) will be the busiest for leisure journeys by car, with around 3.3m made each day.

However, when it comes to traffic congestion, Friday (May 26) may turn out to be busiest when a projected 3m trips are made. A further 6.3m trips are expected to be taken at some point over the four days.

Transport experts at Inrix expect the M25 to be a hotspot for traffic jams over the weekend, with journeys on some stretches – including clockwise from J23 for Hatfield to J28 for Chelmsford and anticlockwise towards the Dartford crossing – taking up to three times longer than normal.

Delays are also expected on the M5 in Somerset and M6 in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With the travel restrictions imposed during Covid now thankfully a distant memory, it’s clear drivers’ desire to getaway has been reignited with our figures for this coming weekend suggesting leisure traffic volumes will be close to what we last saw in 2019.

“With the Met Office currently predicting largely settled weather with above average temperatures, we’re expecting this to be a hectic period on major roads as people aim to make the most of the last long weekend before August.”