14m to make trips this August bank holiday
Traffic jams are highly likely over the bank holiday weekend
The bank holiday is almost here, and with it comes millions of people hitting the road for a long weekend getaway. But how busy will the roads be?
Record number of people to hit the road
There will be more than 14 million trips over the upcoming weekend, nearly 2 million more people making journeys compared to the last August bank holiday.
Saturday is expected to be the busiest day, with as many as 3.1 million separate trips due to be taken. Friday is likely going to be the next busiest with 2.8 million trips. Sunday and Monday are less busy, with 2.3 million and 1.9 million trips expected.
On top of that, it’s estimated that an extra 4.2 million trips will be made by drivers who haven’t decided what day they want to travel on yet.
The RAC predicts 1.8 million more trips compared to 2022, when fuel prices were at their highest.
Which roads will be busiest?
Some of the most popular destinations are Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and various places in the West Country.
Transport experts INRIX are warning of longer than normal journeys on the:
- M1 – Friday, Sunday
- M4 – Friday
- M5 – Saturday, Sunday, Monday
- M25 – Friday
So, when is the best time to hit the road and miss traffic?
INRIX has advised to avoid travelling between 10am and 7pm on Friday and between 10am and 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.
RAC spokesperson Simon Williams says: “With fuel prices much lower than last summer’s record highs, it’s clear from our research that many more drivers are planning to make the most of what the UK has to offer over the last bank holiday of the summer. And if the weather is kind, even more people may decide to take trips swelling numbers on the road further still and possibly adding to the inevitable delays.
“Those looking to have uninterrupted journeys should aim to travel very early to beat the jams, or if that’s not possible, much later in the day.”
If you want to know more about fuel prices, check out our blog on why petrol and diesel prices are rising again.
