HOLIDAYS AT HOME WILL BRING HEAVY LATE SPRING BANK HOLIDAY TRAFFIC
26 May, 2011 13:30 CET
Traditionally the Friday before the start of the late spring bank holiday school half term break has been a ‘Black Friday’ for traffic congestion on routes to airports and ferry terminals as people head for the sun. However, this year Trafficmaster - the UK’s leading provider of real-time traffic information – is predicting heavy traffic as usual, but this time more on local or leisure trips in the UK – as families choose to stay at home for a break instead.
This year, the continuing unsettled political situations around the world and threats of further air travel uncertainty means that many will be heading off for holidays in Britain by road – regardless of how much a full tank will cost! This appears to be changing leisure travel habits with Trafficmaster monitoring increased traffic congestion on some holiday routes each Friday afternoon, with returning traffic on Sunday afternoon and evenings as people take short weekend breaks, closer to home.
For the late Spring Bank Holiday this trend will be significantly increased with very heavy traffic expected on Friday 27 and 4-5 June. This will affect not only holiday routes, but key commuter routes and long distance routes such as the M1, M6 and M25, although the following week will see much reduced commuter traffic and no school traffic during the half term break.
Graham Smith, Data Manager at Trafficmaster comments: “Predicting traffic levels is never clear-cut but it seems the political and air travel arenas are creating different holiday traffic patterns this year. Families are opting for short breaks in the UK rather than going abroad and we expect to see heavier traffic this Bank Holiday from lunchtime Friday onwards on the popular holiday routes.”
With over 20 years monitoring the UK’s traffic levels, Trafficmaster’s data shows that congestion problems are caused at the start of Bank Holiday weekends because there is a higher than usual mix of commuter and holiday traffic, occurring over a short time in the day from lunchtime onwards as people make an early getaway.
The sections of roads that Trafficmaster expects to be the most congested could see an increase in expected journey times of up to 50% compared with a normal Friday. The Spring Bank Holiday top five congestion hotspots are expected to be:
Road Section of Road
M5 from Almondsbury (M4) to Exeter (J31)
A303 from M3 through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset
M3/M27/A31 from Winchester (J9) to Dorset coast
M6 between Junction 11A (M6 Toll), through Staffordshire and Cheshire into Lancashire
M25 Western Sector between M1 interchange (Junction 21) and M3 interchange (Junction 12)
For the latest traffic and travel update: Call 0906 470 1740 from your landline, or 1740 from your mobile before you travel or during your journey for Live Traffic Reports. Alternatively for more information about Trafficmaster’s other services and a live view of traffic on the roads go to
www.trafficmaster.co.uk.
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For more information:
Traffic enquiries:
For traffic updates, Trafficmaster’s control centre is on 01234 759 100 (available 24/7) and Michael Savage, Trafficmaster’s Head of UK Networks, is available on 07730 922 800 for comment on the traffic situation.
http://www.trafficmaster.co.uk/
Media Contact:
Karen Sutton, Marketing & PR Executive, Trafficmaster Ltd
T: 01234 759306
About Trafficmaster
Trafficmaster is an expert in intelligent driving. The Group comprises US-based Teletrac Inc., Fleet Management Solutions® (FMS) and Trafficmaster Ltd in the UK. Each organisation focuses on intelligent vehicle services, which enhance the driving experience and improve business performance by saving companies and drivers time and money, reducing their environmental impact as well as providing vehicle and driver security.
Teletrac Inc. offers fleet tracking, management and navigation solutions under the Fleet Director brand across the US, serving 6,000 fleets and a total of 90,000 commercial vehicles, using wireless and GPS technology.
FMS manufactures, installs and supports all-satellite GPS vehicle tracking systems for remote and rugged environments. By combining two-way Iridium satellite messaging, intelligent modems and GPS technology, FMS provides real-time location data, status and alerts for fleets operating anywhere in the world.
The group has developed a suite of Trafficmaster services in the UK. Trafficmaster's key product is the award-winning Smartnav, an intelligent satellite navigation system, which uses live traffic information and real-time road speeds to calculate optimum routes and avoid traffic congestion. Trafficmaster's comprehensive traffic data means Smartnav is continually updated with traffic information, road closures and speed camera locations.
Trafficmaster offers the Thatcham approved Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking, which is monitored 24 hours a day in the Trafficmaster Control Centre. Stolen vehicles automatically alert the Trafficmaster emergency desk operators who then monitor them remotely and inform the police of their whereabouts for fast and efficient recovery.
Trafficmaster maintains a unique network of 5,200 traffic monitoring sensors, generating high quality real-time traffic information on the UK motorway and trunk roads. Live traffic information is provided to customers via RDSTMC, premium rate telephone services, the internet and various data feeds.
Trafficmaster provides, Fleet Director, their fleet management solution in the UK, which combines all of Trafficmaster’s intelligent technology to help businesses become more efficient and productive, whilst reducing the environmental impact of driving.
Trafficmaster was founded in 1988 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1994. Teletrac Inc and FMS are wholly owned US subsidiary companies. On the 29th July 2010 Trafficmaster was acquired by Vector Capital and was delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
For further information visit
www.trafficmaster.co.uk ,
www.vectorcapital.com or
www.teletrac.net