2023 summer holiday traffic: experts give the roads to avoid and best times to travel as 13m trips planned

Motorists have been told to prepare for serious traffic delays around the country in coming days as millions of holidaymakers take to the road.

With English and Welsh schools breaking up for the summer holidays, traffic experts are predicting a massive surge in traffic between Thursday and Sunday, with almost 13 million additional trips set to be taken over the coming weekend as families head for destinations in the UK and further afield. 

Analysts said that travel times on some key routes would be at least 45 minutes longer due the additional vehicles on the roads, with “bumper-to-bumper” traffic on some roads. They also warned that breakdowns and collisions could quickly extend these into far longer hold-ups. 

Saturday is expected to be the busiest day of the weekend, with around 3.1m additional leisure trips planned, according to RAC research, bringing heavy traffic to key roads including the M5, M60 and M25. 

Friday will see in the region of 2.3m extra journeys, leading to congestion on the same routes. The M5 south between J15 near Bristol and J23 for Bridgwater is expected to be a flashpoint for delays and drivers are being warned that journey times will be at least 45 minutes longer than usual. 

The M25 anticlockwise between J10 and J6 is also expected to see hold-ups as holidaymakers combine with regular commuter traffic. Thursday is a similar story, with evening delays of at least 35 minutes expected around the Dartford Crossing as drivers try to beat the weekend rush. 

Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at Inrix, said: “With millions of trips expected on the roads this getaway period, drivers should be prepared for above-average delays to their favourite destinations. Planning ahead, using traffic apps such as myRAC and keeping tuned in to local traffic broadcasts are key to minimising frustrations this getaway period.”

Inrix advises drivers to avoid using major roads between late morning and early evening between Thursday and Sunday, with the best times to travel on these days generally being before 8am in the morning or after 7pm.

Broader research by the RAC suggests that England’s south-west is set to see the bulk of the holiday traffic throughout July and August, leading to longer journey times throughout the coming weeks. Of drivers surveyed, 28% said they planned on staying in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset. The Hampshire, Sussex and Kent coasts are the next most popular (13% of drivers) destinations followed by Scotland (12%) and North Wales (10%).

This year’s travel figures are down on 2022, when holidaymakers took more than 18m car journeys in the first weekend of the holidays, but are still up on pre-pandemic levels. 

RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: “There’s no doubting the UK remains an ever-popular holiday destination with millions of drivers expected to take to the roads at the end of this week as schools in England and Wales close for summer. With the West Country leading the pack, it means routes heading south and west are likely to encounter some of the longest queues. Anyone using the M5 southbound from Bristol should anticipate bumper-to-bumper traffic, with those travelling outside peak periods most likely to have a better journey.”

Delays are inevitably made worse by vehicle breakdowns and Dennis said that the RAC had seen an “enormous” rise in the number of call-outs this year as drivers struggle with the cost of maintenance. He commented: “No driver should set off before a long journey without carrying out a few basic checks to ensure their cars have got the right levels of oil and coolant, as well as making sure all tyres have plenty of tread and are properly inflated.”