RAC warns Christmas traffic to peak on Friday

Leisure traffic is expected to climb this week, increasing by 43% from 2.2 million journeys on Thursday (December 21) to 3.2m on Friday (December 22).

While Christmas Eve getaways match those being taken on Friday at 3.2m, Friday will be far busier as those heading off on leisure trips share the roads with the normal mix of commercial, commuter and school traffic. 

Overall, according to analysis by the RAC and Inrix, drivers are planning 21m festive getaways between today and Christmas Eve with 60% of these trips crammed into the last three days before December 25.  

Data from transport analytics specialists, Inrix, indicates there are likely to be daily delays of around 40 minutes between Friday and Sunday on the M25 clockwise west of Greater London.

The worst queue, of up to an hour, is expected along the M25 clockwise between the M23 for Gatwick and M40 for Birmingham on the Saturday. 

Drivers heading anti-clockwise between J17-J12 on the same day should also prepare themselves for longer waits of around half an hour.

Meanwhile, the M1 north between Woburn to Daventry and the M6 south from Wigan to Stafford will be hit the hardest with delays in the run-up to Christmas day.  

Across most major routes during the pre-Christmas weekend, 12pm to 2pm will be the busiest time to travel, with both the RAC and Inrix urging drivers to avoid lunchtime journeys. The best times to travel will be before 11am and after 6pm on both Friday and Saturday (December 22 and 23).

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “Since Christmas falls on a Monday this year, there’s no need for drivers to use annual leave for getaway trips as they can travel over the weekend before.

“For that very reason, our research suggests these days will be the busiest times to drive, so we urge people to set off as early as possible on Saturday and Sunday.”

National Highways is removing more than 1,000 miles of roadworks ahead of the festive getaway.

The move, it says, will ensure more than 98% of motorways and major A-roads will be roadworks-free in time for those travelling across the Christmas break.  

The vast majority of roadworks will be removed from 6am on Tuesday (December 19) until 12.01am on Tuesday (January 2).  

Notable routes to benefit from roadworks being lifted for the festive period include the A3 in Hindhead with more than nine miles of roadworks completed ahead of the festive getaway; and the M27 between junctions 2 and 3 (near Southampton) with more than 13 miles of roadworks completed before Christmas.

The M4 between junctions 13 and 12 (near Newbury) will also see more than 27 miles of roadworks removed as will the A1 from A47 Wansford to Stibbington (near Peterborough) with five miles of roadworks lifted.

A further five miles of roadworks will be lifted on the M1 between junctions 21 to 22 (near Leicester).

Bob Pishue, Inrix transportation analyst, said: “On average, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season, while travellers around Greater London could experience more than double typical drive times.

“Our recommendation is to avoid peak commuting hours and use traffic apps to minimise holiday travel traffic frustrations.”