Trafficmaster publishes the jam buster schedule

Unfortunately we are not talking about the strawberry and a raspberry variety of jams, as Trafficmaster warns of severe delays on the roads in the run up to the May Bank Holiday. As the leading real time traffic information provider, Trafficmaster predicts that with the promise of warmer temperatures combined with school half term holidays and the Bank Holiday on May 26th, Friday 23rd May will be a serious contender for worst traffic day of the year.

May is the third busiest month of the year with over 11 million domestic trips being made*. Most of these trips will most likely be made over the last May Bank Holiday, as experience tells us holiday makers will have been waiting for the summer weather to start before they venture on the first real holiday of the year.

Friday will be the worst day over the weekend due to a mix of holiday getaway traffic with commuters. Unlike a typical Friday we will see a build up of traffic starting as early as 10.30 in the morning and occurring throughout the day. Trafficmaster’s historical data also shows us that roads that are not normally congested will see traffic jams for the first time this year. These roads are the traditional holiday routes that serve coastal and landmark resorts, particularly those in the West Country.

To help you keep on the move over the Bank Holiday weekend, Trafficmaster is issuing its Jam Buster Schedule:

10.30am

After the normal morning peak hour from 7.30 to 9.00am we will see holiday makers start to make their getaway. Amongst the worst hit areas is:
- The Western Sector of the M25 near Heathrow
10.30-11.00am Slow moving traffic heads towards the West Country. Amongst the worst hit areas is:
- A303 past Amesbury

11.00am – Midday

Long distance traffic encounters early holiday getaway traffic. Lunchtime drivers also add to the mix. Amongst the worst hit areas are:
- M6 between junctions 11 and 8 (Southbound)
- A3 around Hindhead and Oxford (Southbound)
- A34 near Chieveley (Southbound)
12.00 onwards More holiday traffic makes a move. Amongst the worst hit areas are:
- M27 where the road works around Rownhams Service cause a bottleneck
- A31 at Ringwood (Westbound)
- A35 at Dorchester
- M1 through the road works between Junctions 6a and 10 (Northbound)

12.30pm onwards

Many holidaymakers now hit the road and we can see those who are already on their way South or West. With the increase of traffic we start to see speeds slow right down. Amongst the worst hit areas are:
- M5 between Almondsbury interchange and junction 20
- M6 through the West Midlands section (bothways)
- M25 Western and Northern sectors - very slow in both directions and extending to Southern and South Eastern sections.

2.00pm onwards

Commuters start to leave work early and mix with holiday makers. Amongst the worst hit areas are:
- M6 intermittently between junction 11a (north of the Toll road) and junction 20 at the M56 interchange
- A720 slow moving traffic on the Edinburgh ring road

2.30pm onwards

Traffic now heads further into the West Country and the Midlands sees traffic build up.
- M5 Westbound into Somerset and Devon
- A30 around Bodmin (Westbound)
- A38 around Dobwalls and Liskeard
3.00pm onwards Commuter traffic starts in earnest from London and other major towns and cities, such as Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Combined with a cross over of holiday traffic the worst areas are:
- M1
- M11
- M40
- M4
- M3

4.00pm onwards

Traffic becomes heavy and very slow towards the Lake District. Main trunk roads are also getting congested. Amongst the worst areas are:
- M6 towards Lancashire
- M6 from Preston towards M55 interchange (junction 32) and the Lake District at junction 36.
- M56 towards the A55 Westbound towards Chester and North Wales
- A1 through road works in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire
- M4 Westbound from London

6.00pm onwards

Traffic begins to ease on shorter holiday runs. West Country routes running slowly throughout the evening – these will also be busy on Saturday morning. Other commuter runs will continue to remain busy throughout the evening.

Georgina Osborn from Trafficmaster advises drivers to plan journeys and check traffic conditions before they leave. She comments: “Journey times could double on some routes and traffic speeds will be stop and start giving an average speed of less than 20 mph on some motorways. Often delays not only correlate with an increase in the volume of traffic but also an increase in the number of accidents due to tiredness or being distracted by bored children. Take time to have pit stops and regularly check traffic reports so that you can pace your journey accordingly. Above all remember that it is holiday time and smile!”

Throughout the rest of the week traffic will be localised – travelling to major shopping centres, leisure parks and day trips to the coast. However we will see heavy traffic on the evening of
Monday 26th May as some families return home from a long week end. Sunday 1st June will also see congestion along the holiday routes heading East and North as the school half term
holiday in some regions comes to an end.

Up-to-the-minute traffic reports can be accessed on your mobile phone by calling 1740. This is a service jointly run by Trafficmaster and the RAC. Calls cost up to 59p a minute.