This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38182259
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Christmas 2016 travel: When should I avoid the roads? | Christmas 2016 travel: When should I avoid the roads? |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| With 12 million drivers on the roads, 200 sets of rail engineering works and airports full of people jetting off to spend Christmas abroad, it will be busy however you travel over the festive period. But what kind of transport should you really avoid - and when? | With 12 million drivers on the roads, 200 sets of rail engineering works and airports full of people jetting off to spend Christmas abroad, it will be busy however you travel over the festive period. But what kind of transport should you really avoid - and when? |
| 1. When to stay off the roads | 1. When to stay off the roads |
| Christmas Day falls on Sunday in 2016. The last time this happened was in 2011, which leads experts to suggest the busiest days on the roads will be Friday 16 December, Tuesday 20 December and Friday 23 December. | |
| According to traffic information company Inrix, some journeys will take four times as long compared with other times of the year. | According to traffic information company Inrix, some journeys will take four times as long compared with other times of the year. |
| People using the M25 in either direction can expect to crawl at 11 miles per hour on Friday afternoon, with the worst time from 16:00 to 17:30 GMT. | People using the M25 in either direction can expect to crawl at 11 miles per hour on Friday afternoon, with the worst time from 16:00 to 17:30 GMT. |
| It gets worse - a normal journey time of 35 minutes could take almost three hours. | It gets worse - a normal journey time of 35 minutes could take almost three hours. |
| Greg Hallsworth, UK traffic analyst at Inrix, said: "There will be significant disruptions on the road due to the regular post-work peak, the start of the school holidays and people heading home for Christmas, as well as the number of delivery vehicles making their drop offs." | Greg Hallsworth, UK traffic analyst at Inrix, said: "There will be significant disruptions on the road due to the regular post-work peak, the start of the school holidays and people heading home for Christmas, as well as the number of delivery vehicles making their drop offs." |
| According to the AA, 12 million cars will also be travelling at least 20 miles on Friday 23 December. | According to the AA, 12 million cars will also be travelling at least 20 miles on Friday 23 December. |
| The AA worked this out based on a survey of 19,317 members, 41% of whom said they would be making long journeys that day. It then applied the figure to the number of vehicles in the UK. | The AA worked this out based on a survey of 19,317 members, 41% of whom said they would be making long journeys that day. It then applied the figure to the number of vehicles in the UK. |
| Highways England has promised to complete or lift 448 miles of roadworks by 23 December. However, with the majority of schools breaking up a whole week before Christmas many of these will still be in place on Friday 16 December. | Highways England has promised to complete or lift 448 miles of roadworks by 23 December. However, with the majority of schools breaking up a whole week before Christmas many of these will still be in place on Friday 16 December. |
| 2. When to avoid the trains | 2. When to avoid the trains |
| As well as 16 December being busy on the roads, it's also one of the days Southern train drivers in the ASLEF and RMT unions are due to be on strike. | As well as 16 December being busy on the roads, it's also one of the days Southern train drivers in the ASLEF and RMT unions are due to be on strike. |
| No Southern services will run at all that day and people are being told they "should not attempt to travel". | No Southern services will run at all that day and people are being told they "should not attempt to travel". |
| Conductors will also go on strike on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 December. | Conductors will also go on strike on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 December. |
| Rail engineering work will start on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December. | Rail engineering work will start on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December. |
| That means people will need to check whether they should travel on the Friday or before if they want to avoid disruption. | That means people will need to check whether they should travel on the Friday or before if they want to avoid disruption. |
| The usual shut down of rail services on Christmas Day offers a chance for engineers to carry out maintenance and upgrade work. | The usual shut down of rail services on Christmas Day offers a chance for engineers to carry out maintenance and upgrade work. |
| And because it's a quieter time for people travelling in general, the period between Christmas and New Year will also mean planned work will hit services. | And because it's a quieter time for people travelling in general, the period between Christmas and New Year will also mean planned work will hit services. |
| There are 200 railway engineering projects, including: | There are 200 railway engineering projects, including: |
| 3. When you need to get to the airport early | 3. When you need to get to the airport early |
| Friday 16 December is expected to be the busiest day for people flying from Heathrow Airport. | Friday 16 December is expected to be the busiest day for people flying from Heathrow Airport. |
| There will be 235,003 passengers arriving and departing compared with about 200,000 on a typical day. | There will be 235,003 passengers arriving and departing compared with about 200,000 on a typical day. |
| An airport spokeswoman said: "Usually our most popular destinations are New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong." | An airport spokeswoman said: "Usually our most popular destinations are New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong." |
| London based private hire company Addison Lee said it expected to handle three times the volume of bookings for people going to Heathrow compared with a normal weekday. | London based private hire company Addison Lee said it expected to handle three times the volume of bookings for people going to Heathrow compared with a normal weekday. |
| The company expects Friday 23 December will see double the number of people try to get to rail stations compared with a normal weekday, as well. | The company expects Friday 23 December will see double the number of people try to get to rail stations compared with a normal weekday, as well. |
| It expects the busiest time on New Year's Eve to be between 19:00 and 20:00 GMT as people go out, then 01:00 and 02:00 as people return home. | It expects the busiest time on New Year's Eve to be between 19:00 and 20:00 GMT as people go out, then 01:00 and 02:00 as people return home. |
| And even though Christmas will be a distant memory by 16 January, that is expected to be the busiest day for people coming home from Heathrow, presumably as people tried to escape the back to work blues by going away straight after the festive season. | And even though Christmas will be a distant memory by 16 January, that is expected to be the busiest day for people coming home from Heathrow, presumably as people tried to escape the back to work blues by going away straight after the festive season. |