EASTER WEEKEND CRACKS UP OVER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
AA reveals a nation divided over school term timings but drivers should still prepare for busy roads
One
in five motorists (19%) in the UK will still hit the roads this Easter
weekend, despite forecasts of bad weather and unusual Spring term
timings for schools, new research from the AA reveals.
Six
and a half million cars* are still expected on the nation’s highways
and byways over the Easter weekend as 41% of schools that would
normally break up the Friday before the Easter week will in fact finish
a whole week later than usual this year on Maundy Thursday. There has
been widespread confusion over school term dates as the remaining two
thirds (59%) of schools will not break for Easter until early April,
but the AA is advising motorists not to underestimate traffic levels
over the four-day weekend despite the potential decrease in family
holiday motorists.
In
particular, the UK’s largest motoring organisation is expecting Maundy
Thursday and Bank Holiday Monday traffic to increase by over 10% this
year as over a third of school holiday-ers hit the roads on the eve
they break up for Easter. Plus, weekend break drivers are expected to
hit the roads early to make the most of the extended public holiday.
Alongside
escaping to UK airports, according to AA’s Routeplanner, key
destinations for Easter days out will include popular attractions such
as Alton Towers, Longleat, Thorpe Park, Legoland, Drayton Manor and
Warwick Castle and well as seaside towns Brighton, Bournemouth and Blackpool and the historic cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
To cope with the extended month-long Easter period this year (20th March – 21st April) the AA is keeping all its patrols on high alert for the entire
four weeks, instead of the usual two. In 2007 the AA attended over
35,000 breakdowns over the Easter weekend so motorists should still be
prepared for queues and delays as similar numbers are expected this
weekend.
Traffic hotspots identified by the UK’s largest motoring organisation include:
· M25 around London, particularly the western side
· M1 Northbound towards Luton, and through the East Midlands
· M4 Westbound towards Heathrow
· M6 through the West Midlands and North of Manchester/Liverpool,
· M5 Northbound in the Midlands towards the M6 and Southbound around Bristol.
· M11 towards Stansted
With roadworks remaining in place on:
· M1 J6-J10
· M1 J26-J27
· M4 J30-J32
· M27 J3-J4
· A74 at Scottish Border
AA
Patrol of the Year, Adam Ashmore, explains: “Motorists might be under
the impression that, due to the very early timing of Easter this year
and the fragmentation of school holidays, the roads will be much
quieter than usual – but we don’t expect this to be the case. This
year everyone hitting the road for an Easter break will be setting off
at the same time and on similar routes region by region so congestion
could potentially be worse than usual.
“We
always advise drivers to make careful preparations before setting out
on a journey, including finding out about local traffic and weather
conditions. Checking your car’s coolant and oil levels, battery, tyre
tread and pressures can all make for a much smoother, incident-free
journey. With less than clement weather predicted this weekend, make
sure you check your headlights and windscreen wipers too.”
For
motorists wanting advice on making key checks before they travel, the
AA has created a set of podcasts featuring experienced AA patrols
demonstrating simple car care procedures. The AA is advising drivers
heading out this weekend to view the ‘how to check windscreen wipers’
and ‘preparing for a journey’ podcasts at http://www.theAApodcasts.com
-ends-
For information please contact:
The Red Consultancy, on: 020 7025 6633
Or, AA Press Office, on: 01256 495 969
*Calculated as1 in 5 of the 32 million licensed cars on the road as of 2005 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1096)
School Holiday dates
Region / LEA Holiday dates
Not on holiday over bank holiday weekend
London Central East 4th April - 21st April
London Central West 4th April - 21st April
London North West 4th April - 21st April
London North 4th April - 21st April
London North East 4th April - 21st April
London South East 4th April - 21st April
London South 4th April - 21st April
London South West 4th April - 21st April
Crawley & Guildford 4th April - 21st April
Brighton 4th April - 21st April
Ashford 4th April - 21st April
Tonbridge 4th April - 21st April
Maidstone 4th April - 21st April
South Essex 31st March - 14th April
North Essex 31st March - 14th April
Peterborough 4th April - 21st April
High Wycombe 4th April - 21st April
Berkshire 4th April - 21st April
Oxford 4th April - 21st April
North Hampshire 4th April - 21st April
Southampton 4th April - 21st April
Portsmouth 4th April - 21st April
Isle of Wight 4th April - 21st April
Yeovil 4th April - 21st April
South Devon 4th April - 21st April
Exeter 4th April - 21st April
Barnstaple 4th April - 21st April
Taunton 4th April - 21st April
Bristol 4th April - 21st April
Bath 4th April - 21st April
Swindon 4th April - 21st April
Lancashire 4th April - 17th April
N.Ireland 4th April - 17th April
Cumbria 4th April - 17th April
Newcastle 30th March - 16th April
Dumfries & Galloway 4th April - 17th April
Ayrshire 4th April - 17th April
Glasgow 4th April - 17th April
Fife 4th April - 17th April
Edinburgh 4th April - 17th April
Stirling 4th April - 17th April
Dundee 4th April - 17th April
Aberdeen 27th March - 13th April
Inverness 4th April - 17th April
On holiday over bank holiday weekend
Cornwall 20th March - 7th April
Bournemouth 20th March - 7th April
Cambridge 20th March - 7th April
Hertfordshire 20th March - 7th April
Luton 20th March - 7th April
Norwich 20th March - 7th April
Gloucester 20th March - 7th April
Swansea 20th March - 7th April
Cardiff 20th March - 7th April
South West Wales 20th March - 7th April
Worcester 20th March - 7th April
Telford 20th March - 7th April
North Wales 20th March - 7th April
Liverpool 20th March - 7th April
Wirral 20th March - 7th April
Bolton 20th March - 7th April
Stockport 20th March - 7th April
Stoke-on-Trent 20th March - 7th April
Birmingham 20th March - 7th April
Coventry/Tamworth 20th March - 7th April
Leicester 20th March - 7th April
Northampton 20th March - 7th April
Derby 20th March - 7th April
Nottingham 20th March - 7th April
Lincolnshire 20th March - 7th April
Hull 20th March - 7th April
Scarborough 20th March - 7th April
Harrogate 20th March - 7th April
York 20th March - 7th April
Sheffield 20th March - 7th April
Leeds 20th March - 7th April
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