Brits warned over bank holiday travel chaos as 16m drivers to hit the road on Friday – while rail strikes add to misery
BRITAIN faces early May Bank Holiday travel chaos with 16million cars set to clog roads on “Frantic Friday” and rail strikes.
Sunny spells with highs of 20°C at the weekend after a wet week will make jams even worse, as millions dash for day trips to fairs and coasts.
Friday is set for a tea-time meltdown as a holidaymakers’ rush clashes with office workers and after-school traffic.
Around 16million drivers are expected on roads that day, data trends show.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “It’s looking like a Frantic Friday, with getaway, school and commuter traffic building into the evening.
“Major trunk routes will be congested, with Saturday also busy.
“And after such miserable cold temperatures recently, drivers are ready to make the most of any better weather.
“Expect many more people on roads on days temperatures rise.”
The AA warned of Friday snarl-ups at hotspots including the M25 at J11 in Surrey, the M1 at J11 near Luton, the M5 at J18 near Bristol, the M6 from J4a to J8 around Birmingham, and the M60 at J9 and J10 near the Trafford Centre.
The RAC said Bank Holiday Monday’s train drivers overtime ban – set to see hundreds of services cancelled – will force more people into their cars.
Mr Dennis added: “People are concerned about rail strikes, so some of those rail journeys planned for Monday will end up on the road instead.”
Meanwhile 487 rail engineering schemes costing £75million will also see major disruption.
The west coast mainline – the busiest route in Britain – will have no trains from London or Glasgow on Sunday, with services slashed on Saturday and Monday.
Other works will hit journeys near Liverpool, Crewe, Wigan, Coventry, Cambridge and Southampton.
Network Rail‘s Anit Chandarana said: “We’re investing in making the railway more reliable.”
10,000 trains and two million passengers’ journeys are set to be cancelled by ASLEF train drivers’ strikes at 16 operators on May 7, 8 and 9, analysis of rail industry figures indicates.
And an overtime ban, which sees services axed at the last minute, runs from Bank Holiday Monday on May 6 until May 11.
Network Rail said: “Some operators will not run any services on strike days, and the overtime ban may lead to short-notice cancellations.”
Heathrow passengers face passport control delays in the run-up to the holiday weekend as 300 Border Force staff strike from Monday to Thursday.
Heathrow said: “Longer queue times may be experienced.”
Ferry passengers are set for 60-minute queues at Dover as up to 15,000 cars sail to France over the extended weekend.
It comes after Ryanair was forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to French Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes.
The budget airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement that the EU Commission needs to protect routes flying over France while such walkouts are taking place.
What should I do if my Ryanair flight is cancelled?
The Sun's Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey explains what passengers affected by the Ryanair cancellations should do.
“Thousands of passengers are facing delays and cancellations this week, due to strike action by French ATC workers.
“And as many as 300 flights after being affected with Ryanair alone.
“Anyone who has been affected will be offered a full refund or change their flights on the same route, either with Ryanair or a different airline.
“However, it is unlikely you will be able to claim any compensation.
“This is because the strike is likely to be deemed an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and out of the airline’s control, due to it being an ATC strike, not a Ryanair staff strike.”