Traffic nightmare as busiest August bank holiday weekend predicted
August 23, 2024 by Iain Reid
Car changing is a big deal
This weekend’s August Bank Holliday is expected to be the busiest ever, with Leeds and Reading festivals and and high winds from Storm Lilian compounding traffic jams
- RAC predicts 19.2m journeys over August bank holiday
- Roads could be busiest on Saturday with 3.7m day-trip drives
- Expect longest delays during Friday and Saturday
- Over 500 miles of roadworks lifted to ease congestion
- Further disruption caused by high winds from Storm Lilian
- Safety advice for the weekend for drivers – and their dogs
This August bank holiday could see the busiest on record as the RAC predicts 19.2m leisure journeys will be made by car drivers this weekend.
Saturday 24 August is set to be the busiest on the roads with 3.7m getaway trips planned. Around 3.2m trips are expected on Friday, 3.1m on Sunday and 3m on Monday.
Additionally, a further 6.2m trips are planned at some point over the weekend, with drivers undecided when they’ll travel. This represents the highest number of leisure journeys since the RAC started recording the data in 2015.
It’s expected that the longest delays will last all day on both Friday 23 and Saturday 24 August, with the worst times to travel between 10am and 6pm on Friday and 10am and 1pm on Saturday.
Drivers are advised to make journeys on Friday evening after 6pm when the worst of the commuter traffic is over, or after 2pm on Saturday.
Leeds and Reading Festivals add to congestion
As well as the usual holiday traffic to the UK’s beaches and seaside resorts, the RAC says there will be severe delays on routes towards the Leeds and Reading music festivals.
The Port of Dover expects more than 20,000 cars to travel through its harbour over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It estimates peak hours to be between 6am and 1pm from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 August.
To try and ease traffic jam chaos, National Highways says more than 500 miles of roadworks will be lifted over the holiday, claiming almost 97% of the road network will be free of works.
Storm Lilian high winds and heavy compound nightmare bank holiday
To compound the expected traffic delays, the Met Office has announced Yellow weather warnings in the north of England. High winds from Storm Lilian could bring further travel disruption, with gusts of up to 80mph predicted. These winds are expected to affect major routes such as the M6, A66 and A1(M).
And a red weather warning has been announced for the south east of England, with heavy rain predicted from Saturday morning through to early afternoon.
Safety advice for bank holiday travel
A new safety campaign from National Highways encourages drivers to make sure they’re well rested before heading out onto the roads this weekend. The TRIP checklist is:
- Top-up – fuel, water and oil
- Rest – every two hours
- Inspect – tyres and lights
- Prepare – plan your journey ahead and check the traffic and weather forecasts
If you’re planning a trip this weekend with your dog, Carwow research revealed that 85% of dog owners didn’t know the safest way to travel with them.
To find out more how to travel safely with your dog over the bank holiday read our Safety Tips for Travelling with Dogs.
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