The upcoming bank holiday could see major delays on UK roads as drivers go ‘day trip crazy’.

20th August 2024

Research by the RAC indicates 19 million trips by car will be made across the long weekend – the highest number on record since the motoring services specialist began recording data in 2015.

Saturday 24 August is set to be the busiest on the roads with 3.7 million getaway trips planned, slightly ahead of the 3 million journeys planned every day on Friday (3.2 million), Sunday (3.1 million) and Bank Holiday Monday (3 million). Additionally, a massive 6.2 million trips are planned at some point over the last long summer weekend of the year, with drivers undecided exactly when they’ll travel.

An overwhelming majority of journeys will be day trips, with 84% of respondents to the RAC saying they will use their car for days out. Just 10% of drivers say they set off on holiday in the UK or abroad, while 6% will be returning home from a staycation or a foreign holiday.

Transport analytics specialist Inrix expects delays to 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 following the lunchtime rush.

Severe delays are also expected on routes towards the Reading and Leeds music festivals, which take place over the bank holiday. Leeds Festival – reported to have the second biggest impact on traffic of any major UK event – is likely to impact traffic along the A1, A1(M), M1, M62 and A64 from Thursday 22 August. Journeys are set to double in length on Friday 23 at lunchtime, along the A1 southbound between the Kirk Deighton and Bramham interchanges.

Reading Festival is likely to bring long delays at junction 11 of the M4 eastbound to Reading, M3 junction 6 at the Black Dam interchange and the Wendlebury interchange at junction 9 of the M40. Festival attendees are advised not to drive to Reading due to the close proximity of the train station to the festival site.

The area around Dover could see lengthy delays too. The port expects more than 20,000 cars to travel through its harbour over the August bank holiday weekend, covering both in and outbound journeys. It estimates peak hours to be between 6am and 1pm from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 August.

Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said: “We continue to advise those sailing from the Port of Dover that it is still necessary that they do not arrive any earlier than the two hours requested – just as if they were planning on flying from a UK airport.

“Travellers going through the port this summer may notice the works underway to prepare for the introduction of the EU’s new Entry / Exit system, due to go live in November. With capacity in our pre-border processing space reduced, we also appreciate our customers’ support if they experience a longer wait time, but rest assured you will get away on the next available sailing.

“Furthermore, we expect to welcome back in the region of 9,000 cars to the UK throughout the weekend, as people return from their summer breaks.”

Hundreds of miles of roadworks for bank holiday

National Highways will lift more than 500 miles of roadworks to ease journeys for thousands of motorists travelling over the August 2024 bank holiday.

Almost 97% of the network will be free from roadworks over the long weekend, with 512 miles of works lifted, as motorists travel across the country to enjoy the last of the summer in the UK and beyond.

Ahead of the bank holiday, drivers are reminded to have a safe TRIP: (top-up, rest, inspect and prepare). The new summer T.R.I.P. safety campaign has been launched to urge motorists to make sure they’re well rested ahead of long journeys.

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

Dale Hipkiss, national network manager at National Highways, said: “We anticipate the roads will be busier than usual this August bank holiday, with seaside resorts, airports and theme parks amongst some of the most popular destinations. People heading to Europe via the Kent ports for some last-minute sun should also check before they travel and leave plenty of extra time as routes in Kent are expected to be busier.

“The lifting of roadworks will keep people moving, and some small checks, top-ups and rest as outlined in the TRIP guidance, are all things we encourage drivers to carry out before any long journey – not just during the bank holiday.”