The busiest two departure days are expected to be Saturday 18th and Saturday 25th July at the start of the school holidays according to the Highways Agency, which manages England’s 4,300 miles of motorways and major A roads.
Data collected by the Agency’s National Traffic Control Centre shows the total volume of traffic around Saturday lunchtimes can be comparable to a normal weekday rush hour.
In 2008 the second Saturday of the summer holiday, equivalent to 25th July this year, saw the greatest increase in overall traffic volumes. There were 33,500 more vehicles per hour on the Highways Agency network at the midday peak and the roads stayed busier into the afternoon and evening as people completed their journeys. The preceding Friday (24th this year) also saw an increase in traffic from the afternoon onwards, probably as families made an early start.
The average time spent on the road heading for a seaside destination is around four and a half hours – and this is often cited as the most stressful time of a family holiday, especially where young children are involved.
“About an hour and half into the journey, the kids will probably start asking ‘are we nearly there yet’ so planning those first precious hours of the holiday can be crucial to keeping everyone happy,” comments Steve Crosthwaite, head of the National Traffic Control Centre.
The Highways Agency is urging families always to check the route and travel conditions before they set off, to service the car to reduce the chance of a breakdown and always to carry an emergency kit.
Keeping a watchful eye on the traffic volumes during millions of holiday journeys, the Agency now has more than 1,000 traffic cameras together with almost 5,000 traffic sensors buried under the road surface. They all help to direct Traffic Officer patrols based at 32 locations across the network, feed real-time data to the traffic information services and to set the motorway signs to help families avoid the bottlenecks.
Many in the tourist industry are predicting busier roads because of a surge in the number of families choosing to holiday in the UK this summer.
“Whether you’re heading for the beach, the ferry or the airport our technology can help you plan your journey,” says Steve Crosthwaite.
Live traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads can now be accessed from a mobile device as well as the standard Highways Agency website. This makes it easier for holidaymakers to avoid any congestion hotspots by checking during breaks on their outward journey and ahead of their return home from hotel, caravan or campsite this summer.
The Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk/traffic shows the live situation on the roads, even down to average speeds, what the overhead signs are saying and the view from thousands of CCTV cameras. It’s the most comprehensive picture of the actual traffic situation on England’s motorways and major A roads.
The same up-to-the-minute information is supplied by the National Traffic Control Centre to more than 250 radio stations and media websites, as well as the Agency’s own rolling traffic news service on DAB digital radio.
Issued on by the Highways Agency. For further information please contact Mik Barton, national press officer on 075 5445 8909 or mik.barton@highways.gsi.gov.uk .
Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency national press office on 020 7081 7443.
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England’s motorways and trunk roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. Media are very welcome to come to the National Traffic Control Centre for filming or live news broadcasts and we also have an ISDN line in the control room for radio interviews. The Agency handles 4 terabytes of data from monitoring systems across our network. We will be able to provide statistics and live traffic information during the holiday period.
3. Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available:
- From our Traffic Radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at www.trafficradio.org.uk . To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".
- From the web at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or www.highways.gov.uk/mobile if using a phone or mobile device.
Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it’s safe and legal before you call.
- By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT residential landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary).
4. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its work, visit the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk , or telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time (Calls to 0845 numbers will cost no more than 4p per minute from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary).
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Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency national press office on 020 7081 7443.