Gasoline levels in garages in the east of England averaged 19 percent on April 10, with the south-east recording 21 percent and London 22 percent, a drop from the pre-pandemic average of 40 percent. It comes as travelers using airports, train stations and roads are left to wait for hours in long queues on Thursday.
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There were delays on the highways, with 27.6 million car trips expected to take place over the weekend of bank holidays.
Huge numbers of passengers were seen waiting in long lines at London’s St Pancras train station for Eurostar rail services to Paris and Brussels, while drivers were pictured stuck in heavy traffic on the M25 in Surrey.
RAC Traffic Representative Rod Dennis said: “While we are expecting the largest number of Easter car trips tomorrow – around 4.6 million – it is clear that some drivers want to make an early getaway ahead of the bank holidays.
In addition to the closure of the M20 cruise ship for Operation Brock Zero, previous collisions have caused problems on the Southeastern M25 and its associated roads, as well as on the A303 in Wiltshire.
“In terms of damage, we see a lot of demand for our services across the north of England, especially around the Lake District, as well as the coastal areas of West Wales.”
National Highways said there were 90-minute delays near the Dartford Tunnel in Kent due to a damaged truck and a leak.
There were also 30-minute delays due to the closed M18 in South Yorkshire.
The British have been warned that they are facing an Easter weekend with misery in the car industry, with congested highways, busy A roads and heavy fuel bills on one of the busiest travel days on a bank holiday ever.
Up to 27.6 million car trips are expected to be made in the UK during the four-day Easter weekend, the first without Covid restrictions in more than two years.
On the streets, Good Friday is predicted to be the busiest, with 4.6 million car trips expected as people leave for the four-day weekend.
Easter Monday, when many return from their travels, is predicted to be the busiest, with up to 4 million leisure trips.
Which streets will be busiest this Easter? And when are they busier?
Good Friday Estimated travel: 4,620,000 Worst congestion routes: M6 north J26 Liverpool to J36 South Lakes around noon. M25 clockwise J8 to J16 about late in the morning. The A303 approaches Stonehenge in the morning Worst driving time: Between 9.30 am and 7 p.m. Easter Saturday Estimated travel: 3,630,000 Worst traffic jams: A303 approaches Stonehenge late in the morning. M25 clockwise J8 to J16 around midday Worst driving time: Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Easter Sunday Estimated travel: 3,630,000 Worst traffic jams: M25 clockwise J8 to J16 around midday. The A303 approaches Stonehenge around noon Worst driving time: Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Easter Monday Estimated travel: 3,960,000 Worst roads for traffic jams: M25 clockwise J8 to J16 early afternoon. M6 south J20 for M56 to J16 Stoke-on-Trent early in the evening. M3 north J14 to M27 to J7 Basingstoke early afternoon Worst driving time: Noon until 2:30 p.m. With so many people taking to the streets this weekend, travel experts warn of possible road delays, including well-known spots such as the A303 near Stonehenge. Widely considered one of the UK’s worst bottlenecks, the road, an arterial route to south-west England that narrows from two lanes to just one near the famous monument, is expected to be busy on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and towards both directions. . RAC officials expect the A303 near Stonehenge to be busier on Friday morning, late Saturday morning and around midday on Sunday. Meanwhile, the M25, commonly called the “Road to Hell”, is expected to be busy at the weekend. According to the RAC, it will be busiest in Surrey, clockwise from J8 (Reigate) to J16 (Langley Corner / M40) around late Friday morning and around the same time around noon on Saturday. Again, the same section of London’s orbital motorway will be busiest on Sunday around noon and early Sunday afternoon. The section includes junctions for Heathrow Airport, the M3, M40, M4 and A3, making it one of the most concentrated sections for major motorway connections on the M25. To the north, the M6 north between junction 26 (Liverpool) to junction 36 (South Lakes) will be one of the busiest sections on Good Friday, as motorists head to the Lakes area and Scotland. The biggest traffic is expected to be around midday on Friday. The M6 South from junction 20 (Runcorn / M56) to junction 16 (Stoke-on-Trent) is also expected to be busy around early Easter Monday afternoon. Similarly, on Easter Monday, the M3 north of junction 14 (Eastleigh / M27) to junction 7 (Basingstock) is also expected to be busy late in the afternoon. RAC bosses say the best time to drive is before 9 p.m. and after 19:30 on Good Friday, after 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and before 10:30 and after 18:30 on Monday, in order to avoid haste. RAC Traffic Representative Rod Dennis said: “After two years of relatively quiet Easter holidays on the streets, our research suggests a return to traffic levels that are much more typical at this time of year and this is very likely. Weekend to prove to be one of the busiest leisure trips for many years. Traffic both clockwise and counterclockwise on the M25 was already heavy late this afternoon as people traveled for the Easter holiday weekend. Up to 21.5 million car trips are expected to take place in the UK during the four-day Easter weekend, the first without Covid restrictions in more than two years. This graph shows when and where drivers are likely to hit traffic this weekend, according to the RAC using data from INRIX RAC officials expect the A303 near Stonehenge to be busier on Friday morning, late Saturday morning and around midday on Sunday. Photo in 2020
What are the travel destinations facing the British this weekend?
Roads
About 21.5 million leisure trips are expected to be made by car between Good Friday and Easter Monday. Common attractions such as the A303 Stonehenge, the M6 north between Liverpool and The Lake District and the M25 clockwise around Heathrow Airport.
Trains
Train passengers are also being warned of Easter delays, as the Network Rail is carrying out 530 engineering projects totaling 83 83 million. There will also be major disruptions to Transpennine services due to labor activity, while Piccadilly Line and the London Gatwick Express will cut off travel to and from Heathrow and Gatwick.
Airports
Industry leaders warn of more queues and delays at UK airports this week due to ongoing staffing problems. The Union of Immigration Services (ISU), which represents Border Force officials, also warns that “catastrophic overcrowding” and the influx of passengers returning to the UK after the Easter school holidays could lead to long queues in the UK. .
The port of Dover
Channel crossings have been delayed in recent weeks since P&O Ferries cut off travel from Dover to Calais following its decision to lay off 800 crew members without warning. And now the company has confirmed that it will not operate passenger services between Dover and Calais this Easter weekend – which is considered by industry experts to be the busiest for crossing the Channel. Emergency Operation Brock Zero, which shuts down non-truck traffic on the M20 to stack trucks trying to cross the English Channel, has been activated and remains in place. P&O had planned to restart its crossings in time for Good Friday. However, the company suffered a setback yesterday when it was announced that the Shipping and Coast Guard had seized a second vessel due to safety concerns.
Add the impact of the disruption to the rail network and one of the biggest sports calendar games to take place this weekend and you will have all the necessary ingredients for road problems. The volume of traffic will probably be even greater if there is some warm spring sunshine.
“The key to avoiding the worst jams is planning. Simply put, the earlier you leave in the morning, the more likely you are to miss the worst of the queues, especially if you travel longer distances – although one-fifth of the drivers we interviewed said they planned to drive shorter distances this Easter. especially due to the extremely high cost of petrol and diesel at the moment “.
Mr Dennis also urged drivers to make sure their cars were “ready for the road” by ensuring their cars had enough fuel, refueling, enough coolant and tires legally before traveling.
“Apart from queues, vehicle crashes can also ruin the long weekend for drivers and anyone traveling with them, so we urge people to make sure the vehicles are ‘ready for the road’ before we start,” he added. Mr. Dennis.
The Easter weekend rush on the streets will come despite fuel prices in the UK in recent months.
In recent days, diesel inventories have fallen, by an average of 23 per cent at petrol stations in the east of England since April 10, compared to the pre-pandemic level of 48 per cent.
In London, diesel stock levels have fallen to 24%, from 46% before the pandemic, while in the south-east of England they have fallen to 26%, from 47%.
The average price of a liter of unleaded gasoline was 161.8 p.m. on April 11, slightly lower than the recent record of 165.4 a.m., while diesel was 176.2 a.m., below the recent record of …
