Warning to holidaymakers as Easter getaway sees gridlock begin
Millions are gearing up for the Easter getaway, with traffic expected to peak on Thursday evening as leisure travellers battle for space on the roads with regular commuters.
According to traffic information supplier Inrix, traffic was expected to peak at 28 percent above typical levels at 5pm today, as motorists embarked on the bank holiday getaway as soon as the working week was over.
About 20 million car journeys will be made between Thursday and Monday, despite an underwhelming weather forecast.
The highest temperatures tomorrow are set to reach 14C (57F), down from the peak of 21C (70F) enjoyed in the Black Country and Staffordshire last Sunday – the hottest day of the year so far.
Thursday is expected to be largely cloudy with outbreaks of rain, particularly later on, but with the chance of some bright spells. It will be mainly dry over Easter, with cloud, some sunny spells and mostly light winds. While it will be warm in the sunshine, chilly nights are possible.
Fitting with the Easter holiday, Banks's Brewery have been sharing their latest Banksy inspired artwork, depicting Jesus sitting in a rabbit costume. It forms part of an ongoing marketing campaign by the brewery that has seen both real and computer-generated murals appear in and around Wolverhampton sites.
Drivers have been warned to expect 'significant delays' over Easter with more than 20 million cars expected on the roads between tomorrow and Easter Monday.
The worst impacted roads were major motorways, with some journeys taking as much as three times longer than normal.
Friday between 10am and 2pm, and Monday between 12pm and 5pm, have also been said to be the worst times to travel.
Easter Sunday is predicted to be the quietest day on the roads, with 25 percent fewer vehicles compared with an average Sunday.
A number of rail services will be disrupted as Network Rail carries out more than 200 engineering projects.
Trains to London, Manchester, Bath, Edinburgh and Glasgow are among those affected.
Network Rail said it is carrying out the work over the four-day weekend as fewer passengers use the railways on bank holidays.
Airports are also expecting a rush of holidaymakers. Birmingham Airport is expecting its busiest Easter period ever, with almost 500,000 passengers flying out of the two week period.
A spokesman said: "Over the bank holiday weekend 134,384 people will be travelling through the airport, 16.4 per cent more than the same weekend in 2016."
Some 868,000 people are due to travel through Heathrow Airport between tomorrow and Easter Monday, an extra 200,000 families compared with a typical Friday to Monday period.
People heading to Portugal have been told to expect delays at the country's airports due to a strike by security guards.
