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| Easter travel: Millions setting off on getaway as delays likely | Easter travel: Millions setting off on getaway as delays likely |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| There were queues at Dover Port on Friday, but traffic was flowing relatively smoothly | There were queues at Dover Port on Friday, but traffic was flowing relatively smoothly |
| Millions of people are heading off on their Easter holiday trips this weekend, as transport companies warned them to expect delays. | Millions of people are heading off on their Easter holiday trips this weekend, as transport companies warned them to expect delays. |
| On Friday, holidaymakers were facing queues of between an hour and an hour and a half at border controls at Dover. | On Friday, holidaymakers were facing queues of between an hour and an hour and a half at border controls at Dover. |
| The country's roads are likely to hit their peak on Saturday, with around 15 million drivers expected. | The country's roads are likely to hit their peak on Saturday, with around 15 million drivers expected. |
| The weather is expected to remain dry until Monday and is not likely to cause travel problems. | The weather is expected to remain dry until Monday and is not likely to cause travel problems. |
| The Port of Dover - which saw delays of more than 14 hours last weekend - was only seeing queues of 60 to 90 minutes for tourist traffic on Friday morning, it wrote on Twitter. | The Port of Dover - which saw delays of more than 14 hours last weekend - was only seeing queues of 60 to 90 minutes for tourist traffic on Friday morning, it wrote on Twitter. |
| It said freight traffic was queuing and being managed by its Traffic Assessment Project - known as Dover TAP - after "free flowing" overnight. | It said freight traffic was queuing and being managed by its Traffic Assessment Project - known as Dover TAP - after "free flowing" overnight. |
| The temporary traffic management system imposes a 40mph (64km) speed restriction for all vehicles approaching Dover from the west via the A20. | The temporary traffic management system imposes a 40mph (64km) speed restriction for all vehicles approaching Dover from the west via the A20. |
| By 12:00 BST, around 500 lorries were being queued on the outskirts of the town to try to stop the port becoming gridlocked. | By 12:00 BST, around 500 lorries were being queued on the outskirts of the town to try to stop the port becoming gridlocked. |
| The Kent Resilience Forum - tasked with keeping the roads running in the county - said Dover was "very, very busy" but added the situation was under control. | The Kent Resilience Forum - tasked with keeping the roads running in the county - said Dover was "very, very busy" but added the situation was under control. |
| The port said earlier extra measures had been put in place to cope with the increased demand, warning there could be "a few hours of waiting" during the busiest travel hours on Friday. | The port said earlier extra measures had been put in place to cope with the increased demand, warning there could be "a few hours of waiting" during the busiest travel hours on Friday. |
| It urged travellers not to turn up early and without bookings, and to check on the latest updates with their ferry operators. | It urged travellers not to turn up early and without bookings, and to check on the latest updates with their ferry operators. |
| Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, told the BBC the port had worked with ferry operators to try and spread the demand across three days instead of one. | Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, told the BBC the port had worked with ferry operators to try and spread the demand across three days instead of one. |
| "I know that that's challenging for the coach industry because they have itineraries that they want to maintain, but they've worked with the ferry operators to be able to do that, and that's been successful," he said. | "I know that that's challenging for the coach industry because they have itineraries that they want to maintain, but they've worked with the ferry operators to be able to do that, and that's been successful," he said. |
| He added he expected traffic on Good Friday to reach its peak in the early afternoon, before slowing down after that. | He added he expected traffic on Good Friday to reach its peak in the early afternoon, before slowing down after that. |
| Candice Mason, founder of Masons Coaches, told the BBC she hoped extra measures at Dover would be put in place for the rest of the peak season, not just the bank holiday weekend. | Candice Mason, founder of Masons Coaches, told the BBC she hoped extra measures at Dover would be put in place for the rest of the peak season, not just the bank holiday weekend. |
| "We need to see this all through the summer season," she said, adding that last week's delays were caused by changes in the infrastructure at the port. | "We need to see this all through the summer season," she said, adding that last week's delays were caused by changes in the infrastructure at the port. |
| "We need to have our passports checked more rigorously, and there are different checks that are taking place - and really simply, last weekend in my opinion, it just wasn't staffed sufficiently," she said. | "We need to have our passports checked more rigorously, and there are different checks that are taking place - and really simply, last weekend in my opinion, it just wasn't staffed sufficiently," she said. |
| Port officials said they held an "urgent review" with ferry operators and French authorities after last week's travel problems triggered a row over the impact of Brexit on the route. | Port officials said they held an "urgent review" with ferry operators and French authorities after last week's travel problems triggered a row over the impact of Brexit on the route. |
| Slow processing of documentation since the UK left the EU, staffing levels on the French side of the Channel, and more coaches than expected were variously blamed for long queues at the port. | Slow processing of documentation since the UK left the EU, staffing levels on the French side of the Channel, and more coaches than expected were variously blamed for long queues at the port. |
| At the scene | At the scene |
| by Simon Jones, BBC reporter, in Dover | |
| The queues have been building inside the Port - but the mood among passengers on Friday morning was one of relief that they were not seeing the chaos the terminal experienced last week. | The queues have been building inside the Port - but the mood among passengers on Friday morning was one of relief that they were not seeing the chaos the terminal experienced last week. |
| But there was still some trepidation as they inched towards border controls. Many arrived with plenty of food, drink and entertainment in case they do get stuck. | But there was still some trepidation as they inched towards border controls. Many arrived with plenty of food, drink and entertainment in case they do get stuck. |
| The police were out in force on the roads leading to the port, regulating the flow of traffic inside, which seemed to be preventing the gridlock the town suffered last Saturday. | The police were out in force on the roads leading to the port, regulating the flow of traffic inside, which seemed to be preventing the gridlock the town suffered last Saturday. |
| The authorities are convinced they are better prepared than last weekend. The real test will come in the afternoon - when traffic is due to peak. | The authorities are convinced they are better prepared than last weekend. The real test will come in the afternoon - when traffic is due to peak. |
| Travel to mainland Europe could also be impacted by ongoing strikes over pension reforms in France, with many flights to, from and over France being grounded due to air traffic controllers joining the walkout. | Travel to mainland Europe could also be impacted by ongoing strikes over pension reforms in France, with many flights to, from and over France being grounded due to air traffic controllers joining the walkout. |
| Many airlines have cancelled flights as a result of the industrial action,with British Airways axing at least 20 flights which would have used French airspace on Thursday. | Many airlines have cancelled flights as a result of the industrial action,with British Airways axing at least 20 flights which would have used French airspace on Thursday. |
| Airlines have told the BBC they are confident they will be able to deal with demand after staff shortages led to delays and cancellations last Easter. | Airlines have told the BBC they are confident they will be able to deal with demand after staff shortages led to delays and cancellations last Easter. |
| Manchester Airport, which was criticised over long queues in 2022, has hired an extra 350 staff members, and said 95% of customers would be processed within 15 minutes. | Manchester Airport, which was criticised over long queues in 2022, has hired an extra 350 staff members, and said 95% of customers would be processed within 15 minutes. |
| Eurostar cancelled two trains on Thursday due to loss of crew, but said it was not expecting any more disruption. It said trains are set to run as normal on Friday. | Eurostar cancelled two trains on Thursday due to loss of crew, but said it was not expecting any more disruption. It said trains are set to run as normal on Friday. |
| Protesters also caused disruption at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport, blocking a main road to one of its main terminals, forcing passengers to walk. | Protesters also caused disruption at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport, blocking a main road to one of its main terminals, forcing passengers to walk. |
| More than 10,200 flights are expected to depart UK airports across the weekend, with Good Friday expected to be the busiest day. | More than 10,200 flights are expected to depart UK airports across the weekend, with Good Friday expected to be the busiest day. |
| The UK is expected to see settled weather for most of the Easter weekend | The UK is expected to see settled weather for most of the Easter weekend |
| The weather is not expected to lead to travel woes over the weekend, with it expected to remain largely dry until Monday. | The weather is not expected to lead to travel woes over the weekend, with it expected to remain largely dry until Monday. |
| Gemma Plumb, BBC Weather Forecaster, said Friday would be "dry and fine for most of the UK with sunshine", although there will be cloud in some eastern parts of the country. | Gemma Plumb, BBC Weather Forecaster, said Friday would be "dry and fine for most of the UK with sunshine", although there will be cloud in some eastern parts of the country. |
| Most of the sunshine over the weekend is expected in western parts, before rain hits some parts of the country on Monday. | Most of the sunshine over the weekend is expected in western parts, before rain hits some parts of the country on Monday. |
| The AA, the British motoring association, said it expected Saturday to be the busiest day on the country's roads, with about 15 million drivers planning to use their cars. The RAC said it expected Friday and Sunday to be the busiest days, but there was "always the chance of a boost in traffic if the weather forecast turns out better than expected". | The AA, the British motoring association, said it expected Saturday to be the busiest day on the country's roads, with about 15 million drivers planning to use their cars. The RAC said it expected Friday and Sunday to be the busiest days, but there was "always the chance of a boost in traffic if the weather forecast turns out better than expected". |
| Congestion is expected on the M25, the M4 Wales heading into Newport, the M6/M5 interchange in Birmingham as well as the M4/M5 in Bristol. | Congestion is expected on the M25, the M4 Wales heading into Newport, the M6/M5 interchange in Birmingham as well as the M4/M5 in Bristol. |
| Tony Rich, from the AA, urged drivers to conduct checks on their cars before they travel, saying many of the callouts it gets were "easily preventable". | Tony Rich, from the AA, urged drivers to conduct checks on their cars before they travel, saying many of the callouts it gets were "easily preventable". |
| "We've put more patrols on duty, but drivers can help themselves and everyone else by doing the simple checks as breakdowns cause traffic jams," he said. | "We've put more patrols on duty, but drivers can help themselves and everyone else by doing the simple checks as breakdowns cause traffic jams," he said. |
| The disruption could also extend to the country's railways, with some engineering work planned over the weekend, including at London Euston station - one of London's main rail hubs - which will be closed from Friday until Monday due to planned upgrades. | The disruption could also extend to the country's railways, with some engineering work planned over the weekend, including at London Euston station - one of London's main rail hubs - which will be closed from Friday until Monday due to planned upgrades. |
| Are you at Dover? How are you coping with the delays? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you at Dover? How are you coping with the delays? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Traffic congestion and policy | Traffic congestion and policy |
| Travel | Travel |
| Transport | Transport |