Bank holiday traffic is expected to be heavy this weekend, particularly along the usual hotspots of the M25 around London and all routes to the Southwest of England
Bank holiday traffic is expected to be worst today – and UK airports are anticipated to experience their busiest day for departures so far this year.
Transport analysts predict roads will be congested today with many drivers taking an extra day off before the long weekend and half-term break for most schools in England and Wales. The RAC said an extra 3.4million car trips for leisure would be made today, while the AA said the total number of cars on the road would top 20million.
The M25 around London and all routes to the Southwest of England, such as the M5, are anticipated to be among the busiest roads. However, engineering work is expected on some railways this weekend, including the West Coast Mainline, and so more cars will be on roads as a result.
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Motorists are likely to experience delays on the A30 or A303 westbound or the M5 southbound towards Devon and Cornwall, where journeys could take up to an hour more than usual this weekend.
Those driving this afternoon or on Saturday may dodge some queues, as the majority of motorists surveyed said they expect to hit the road this morning. However, return journeys, especially from coastal areas, are anticipated at various times across Friday May 30, so drivers should allow for extra time for their jaunts.
But the unsettled weather could dampen the traffic over the bank holiday weekend. The Met Office says it will be rainy in places, including across the Northwest of England on Saturday and most of Scotland on Sunday.
Disruption, though, is expected on two major rail routes out of London over the next few days. There will be no trains between London St Pancras and Bedford on Saturday or Sunday, affecting East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services, including services to Luton Airport. A reduced service will operate on Britain’s busiest rail route, the West Coast Mainline, from today until next Friday, affecting Avanti intercity trains from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. West Midlands Trains and CrossCountry services will also be affected.
More than 3,200 flights will take off at UK airports today, making it the busiest for departures so far in 2025. Over the next four days some 12,185 departing flights are scheduled, according to the aviation analytics firm Cirium, carrying up to 2.2 million passengers.
No disruption at airports has been reported as yet today, though results of a survey published last month identified Gatwick Airport as the worst in the UK for flight delays. Air traffic control (ATC) chaos meant departures from the West Sussex airport were an average of more than 23 minutes behind schedule in 2024, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.