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Christmas 2016 travel: When should I avoid the roads? Christmas 2016 travel: When should I avoid the roads?
(6 days 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 roads1. 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. 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 Tuesday 20 December and Friday 23 December. Another of the busiest days has already been and gone, which was Friday 16 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 may take twice or even three 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 are warned they may crawl at 18 miles per hour on Tuesday afternoon, with the worst time from 16:00 to 18:00 GMT.
It gets worse - a normal journey time of 35 minutes could take almost three hours. A normal journey time of 35 minutes could take an hour and 45 minutes if Inrix's prediction comes true.
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 Tuesday was expected to see the second longest delays on UK roads over the festive season, following Friday 16 December.
He said it would be the favoured getaway day for people working in the final week before Christmas. Guards on the Southern rail network are also on strike and this is expected to add to traffic on the roads.
Mr Hallsworth said: "Drivers taking to the roads this Christmas would be well advised to take alternative routes or avoid driving during peak times altogether."
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.
2. When to avoid the trains2. 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. The Southern conductors' strikes will be followed by rail engineering work, set to start on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December.
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.
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.
London based private hire company Addison Lee expects Friday 23 December will see double the number of people try to get to rail stations compared with a normal weekday.
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. And the airports?
Friday 16 December is expected to be the busiest day for people flying from Heathrow Airport. About 223,000 people will depart from and arrive at Heathrow Airport on Friday 23 December, compared with about 200,000 on a normal day.
There will be 235,003 passengers arriving and departing compared with about 200,000 on a typical day. That is also the day that check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew working for Swissport at 18 airports across the UK go on strike for two days.
An airport spokeswoman said: "Usually our most popular destinations are New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong." British Airways cabin crew have separately voted for strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions. They will walk out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and the action could involve up to 4,500 staff, but BA says it will still run flights.
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. And Virgin Atlantic pilots have voted for industrial action short of a strike in a row over union recognition. The Professional Pilots' Union (PPU) said "pilot goodwill" will be removed from 23 December. Virgin said it did not expect flights to be affected.
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. Friday 16 December was Heathrow's busiest day for the festive season as that was when most schools broke up for the Christmas holidays.
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. A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said: "Usually, our most popular destinations are New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong."
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.
British Airways cabin crew have also voted overwhelmingly for strikes in a dispute over pay, with action beginning on Wednesday 21 December. The Unite union has not said whether the strike will affect travellers over Christmas.