News: Tube strike and holiday exodus threaten long queues this Bank Holiday
A double-whammy of Bank Holiday sun-seekers and the threat of a strike on London Underground is likely to cause major travel disruption for drivers this weekend
A DOUBLE-WHAMMY of Bank Holiday sun-seekers and the threat of a strike on London Underground is likely to cause major travel disruption for drivers this weekend, warns Inrix, a traffic intelligence company.
The South East will be worst affected with delays of up to 40 minutes on the M25 western stretch between junction 7, where the motorway meets the M23 to Gatwick and Brighton, and junction 21A, where it meets the M1 taking drivers north.
Similar delays are also expected on the M4 between London and the West Country.
If talks between management and the union fail today, Thursday, the strike on London Underground will run from midnight on Saturday to 8am on Tuesday. The prospect could push more cars onto London’s roads as people look to escape the capital.
Inrix said the weekend’s busiest periods would fall between midday and 5pm on Friday, when drivers should expect a 60-minute journey to take 90 minutes in the most congested areas, and on Monday from 9am to 4pm as drivers head home.
To ease congestion, the Highways Agency has said it will suspend 75% of roadworks.
Inrix has produced a table, below, showing the worst-affected roads and suggesting alternative routes to avoid them.
Most congested routes with suggested alternatives
|
SCOTLAND |
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE |
| A9 Kessock Bridge | No alternative |
| M8 and A82 at Erskine Bridge | Use A739 from the East |
|
MIDLANDS |
|
| M180 Hatfield to Grimsby | A631 and A46 |
| A158 Lincoln to Skegness | No alternative |
| M6 between J8 to J10A | M6 Toll |
|
SOUTH WEST AND WALES |
|
| M4 between Hampshire and West Country | M3 and A303* |
| M4 at the Second Severn Crossing | M48 |
| A303* Amesbury (Stonehenge) | A36 and A338 |
|
NORTH |
|
| M55 between Preston and Blackpool | A583 |
| M6 junction 19 for Tatton Park | A50 |
| A64 between York and Scarborough | A166 |
|
SOUTH EAST |
|
| M25 Western Stretch between J7 and J21A | Non-motorway routes |
| M4 between London and Reading | M3 and A33 |
| A120 between M11 and the coast | No alternative |
|
EAST ANGLIA |
|
| A148 between Kings Lynn and Cromer | No alternative |
| A47 between Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth | No alternative |
|
SOUTH |
|
| A21 between M25 and Hastings | No alternative |
| A31 between M27 and Dorset Coast | No alternative |
| A27 between Eastbourne and Portsmouth | No alternative |
