Millions of people have set off today for an Easter getaway as they make the most of the long weekend. It has been said that the roads will be busiest today as 55% of drivers are intending to drive, according to an AA poll of over 24,000 drivers.
The roads most likely to be congested are the M5 South from Gloucestershire towards Exeter, the M6 North from the West Midlands towards Lancashire and all of the M25. Road organisation the RAC said that it was ‘inevitable’ that the roads will be congested, adding that drivers should anticipate heavy traffic jams.
People travelling abroad have also been warned to allow extra time to get through security at airports and ferry terminals. According to travel organisation ABTA, two million people will go abroad this weekend. Gatwick, Manchester and Heathrow are some of the major airports stepping up security following the recent devastating terrorist attacks in Brussels. Passengers travelling on Eurostar trains have been told to allow an extra hour. The operator expects 22,000 people to travel on its trains on Good Friday.
According to ABTA, Spain is the most popular holiday destination this Easter. The Canary Islands in particular are set to be popular. Long haul destinations such as Orlando, Dubai, Mexico and the Dominican Republic will also be popular. London airports will be the busiest with 450,000 people set to travel from Heathrow, 290,000 from Gatwick, 157,000 from Stansted and 81,000 from Luton. Meanwhile, Manchester will see 200,000 passengers depart.
Six million Britons are said to be planning a mini staycation with an overnight UK stay this Easter. This is according to a study by Visit England. A spokesperson for the tourist board said that Easter is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so it was ‘great’ that so many people were planning to holiday at home. If you are travelling to your staycation by rail, check National Rail because there are 450 improvements projects scheduled across the rail network. For instance, there will be no Southern or Gatwick Express services from London Victoria due to ongoing works in Battersea. Two lines in Peterborough will be closed.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said that ‘95% of the network will be open as normal’.
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