Christmas getaway traffic warning as stretch of M6 motorway named delay hot-spot
18.12.2023 - 08:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
UK drivers are expected to make 21 million leisure trips between Monday and Christmas Eve - with a stretch of the M6 motorway in Greater Manchester named as a delay hot-spot.
Getaway traffic will climb slowly at the start of the week before jumping from 2.2 million trips on Thursday to 3.2 million on Friday, the last working day before Christmas Day, the RAC said.
Some 13.5 million leisure journeys by car are expected between Friday and Christmas Eve, up 20 per cent on the equivalent period last year. Congestion is likely to peak on Friday as drivers embarking on getaway trips compete for road space with commuters and business traffic.
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Transport analysis company Inrix warned there are likely to be “daily delays of around 40 minutes” between Friday and Christmas Eve on the M25 clockwise west of London.
It predicted the worst queues on the motorway network will be on the M25 clockwise between junction 7 (for the M23/Gatwick airport) and junction 16 (for the M40/Birmingham) on Friday.
Drivers heading anti-clockwise between junction 17 (Rickmansworth) and junction 12 (for the M3) on the same day are also being warned to prepare for hold-ups.
Other motorway stretches identified as potential hotspots include the M1 north from Woburn, Bedfordshire to Daventry, Northamptonshire and the M6 south from Wigan to Stafford, Staffordshire. During the weekend before Christmas, between 12pm and 2pm is expected to be the busiest time to travel on the roads.
Drivers are advised to set out before 11am or after 6pm to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.
National