EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Map shows worst traffic hotspots for May bank holiday as Brits brace for double whammy of chaos on the roads and rails
Britons are being warned to avoid driving this Friday amid fears of road chaos as motorists plan a million more leisure trips by car for the May Day bank holiday.
The worst jams on Friday are expected in the late afternoon and evening when holiday and commuter traffic combine – with motorists urged to travel before 10am.
Experts at the RAC also encouraged drivers to take to the roads before 11am or after 3pm if they are travelling on the Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday.
Some 17million motorists are set to hit the roads between Friday and Monday, with traffic hotspots expected to include the A720 Edinburgh bypass towards Dreghorn.
The M25 clockwise from the South Mimms interchange to Essex could see delays of 40 minutes from 4pm on Friday as commuter traffic combines with holiday trips.
And the M5 southbound is expected to see delays of a similar duration from 7pm between the J15 Almondsbury interchange at Bristol and J23 for Bridgwater.
Rail passengers were also warned to expect disruption this weekend, particularly in and out of London Euston and Victoria stations, and between Carlisle and Glasgow.
Transport for London has warned of part-closures on the Bakerloo, Circle and District lines as well as the Overground's Lioness, Suffragette and Windrush lines.
The Met Office expects the weather to be warm on Saturday with 21C (70F), but it will not be as hot as later this week when 29C (84F) is possible on Thursday. Conditions on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday will be cooler and cloudy with 16C (61F).
This Friday is expected to see the most leisure travellers on major roads over the weekend, with the RAC's study suggesting up to 3million journeys could be made.
This is slightly above the 2.9million and 2.8million planned on Saturday and Monday respectively. Sunday could be the best day to travel with 2.4million trips scheduled.
Drivers are also planning an additional 6million journeys at some point between Friday and Monday.
This takes the four-day total to 17.1million - up on the 16million total in 2024.
Data from transport analytics specialists Inrix suggests Friday will see the most congestion, with journeys across the UK predicted to be delayed by 28 per cent more than normal.
But millions of Britons still plan to make the most of the first May bank holiday, even though the four-day Easter weekend was only a fortnight ago.
The most popular reason for getting away this weekend is to see family and friends, cited by 34 per cent of drivers.
This was followed by shopping and running errands (17 per cent) and going on a short break (10 per cent), according to the study of 3,041 UK adults for the RAC by FindOutNow.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: 'Although the Easter break was just two weeks ago, our figures suggest this weekend will still be hectic on the roads as millions take advantage of another bank holiday.
'This week's very warm weather may not last right into the weekend, but with lots of daylight hours there's still plenty of opportunity to get out and about. For drivers that have a choice, it's best to avoid Friday evening as that's when leisure traffic will clash with commuter journeys. '
She also urged drivers to check their vehicle oil, coolant and screenwash were all at the correct levels before starting the engine, and ensure tyres are damage-free, have plenty of tread and are inflated properly.
Trains are set to be disruption on some key routes this weekend, with National Rail highlighting several areas of note.
The first is London Euston, where lines to and from the station will be closed on Sunday and Monday.
Alternative ways of getting to and from central London will be available from the North West, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Watford.
Journeys south of Milton Keynes Central may require travel on replacement buses, and using trains running on alternative routes.
At London Victoria, on Saturday and Sunday no Southeastern services will call at the station and will instead be diverted. Southern will also have a reduced service to and from Victoria.
Meanwhile on the England-Scotland border, from Saturday to Monday buses will replace trains between Carlisle and Glasgow via Lockerbie.
On Saturday and Sunday, buses will replace trains between Carlisle and Edinburgh, and between Carlisle and Dumfries.
Brian Paynter, Network Rail Capital Delivery head of track, said: 'There's a lot of great work happening over the Early May bank holiday to improve the reliability and safety of the railway for passengers and freight.
'We know some of this will be disruptive, but bank holidays remain the least busy time for carrying out complex upgrades.
'I'd like to encourage people to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk/spring and recommend to those planning journeys to or from London Euston, to travel either side of the Early May bank holiday weekend for the most straightforward journey.'
Transport for London said there would be no service on the Bakerloo line from Queen's Park to Harrow & Wealdstone on Sunday and Monday.
The Circle line will have no service from Edgware Road to Tower Hill via Victoria on Saturday and Sunday.
And the District line will have no service on Saturday and Sunday from Edgware Road and Embankment to Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia), Richmond and Wimbledon.
The Docklands Light Railway will be down from Saturday to Monday between Westferry and Poplar to Lewisham, and Stratford International to Canning Town.
Elizabeth line will have no service from Paddington to Ealing Broadway on Sunday until 7.45am, and a reduced service between West Drayton and Maidenhead and at Heathrow Terminal 4 on the same day.
On the Overground, the Lioness line will have no service from Euston to Willesden Junction on Sunday and Monday and the Suffragette line will have no trains from Barking to Barking Riverside on Sunday and Monday.
The Windrush line will have no service after 9pm on Sunday.
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