Driving home for Christmas may be a fraught affair this year as motoring organisations are warning roads will be at their busiest.
With train services under strain from staff absences due to the surge in coronavirus cases, many people are expected to make their own way home this festive period by car.
The AA has predicted tomorrow and Christmas Eve will be the busiest on the roads and the RAC has already warned this year’s great Christmas getaway will be the “biggest in five years”.
After being denied the chance to spend Christmas with family and friends last year under coronavirus restrictions, this year people are hoping to reunite for the festive season.
However, plans to travel are likely to be hampered by the rapidly rising number of Covid cases, driven by the new Omicron variant.
The Rail Delivery Group, representing the rail industry, said 19 out of 20 trains had been running during the past week and operators were planning to continue to run as many as they “possibly can”.
Seb Gordon, director of external communications at the Rail Delivery Group, told BBC Radio 4: “Obviously, as we get further into this wave of the pandemic – we hope will not materialise in the way that people are anticipating – it may be that we decide actually we need to prepare for a lower level of staffing over a longer period of time and we will reduce the timetable.”
Last Friday Avanti West Coast was among the first train operators to warn passengers of possible last-minute cancellations to services as staff absences increased as a result of Covid-19.
The uncertainty has seen demand for rail travel drop with passenger numbers on Monday recorded at 53 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Department of Transport.
On the roads, the AA has said there will be a “significant increase in traffic for the festive period” with predictions 54 per cent of drivers are planning to travel on 23 and 24 December.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “We understand that this festive period will be of huge importance to so many, and the AA are on hand not only to support those who get into trouble during travels, but also to help drivers to plan and prepare as best they can.
“As the UK continues to navigate ongoing levels of uncertainty, we are urging drivers to add extra layers of protection to their planning, to offset the potential disruption that busier roads and inclement weather can cause.”
It is advising motorists to download free what3words location app as a road safety tool before travelling.
The RAC warned last week of “the biggest Christmas getaway for five years, including a frantic festive Friday on Christmas Eve.”
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Around 4.1 million journeys are expected to be made on the 23 December and a peak of 5.3 million on Friday.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis told i there will be less commuter traffic as people work from home but “this doesn’t mean the roads will always be quiet though, and we recommend drivers set off earlier or leave their journeys until later in the day to miss any queues – especially if they are covering a significant distance.”
Longest delays on 23 December are forecast to be on M25 clockwise J7 to J16 at the middle of the day and on A303 West Solstice Park to A36 at the middle of the day on Christmas Eve.
Like the AA, the RAC is also urging drivers to be ‘road ready’.
He added: “Just a single breakdown or collision has the potential to cause jams too, so we strongly urge drivers to ensure their cars are ‘road ready’ for any Christmas trips they plan on making – a breakdown at the side of the road can be avoided by checking tyres have plenty of tread and are inflated properly, alongside ensuring oil, coolant and screenwash levels are all at the right levels.”
