Somerset: When to travel on the M5 and A38 for Christmas

The AA also reported two Somerset "hotspots" which may become more congested this week, after last week's "Frantic Friday" and "Snarl-up Saturday". These include the A38 and the M5 motorway. Looking further afield, the M5/M4 interchange may also become very congested.

Worst days this week

December 23 (today)

Over three million trips will be made by car across the UK as the Christmas buildup panic hits.

December 24

Christmas Eve is expected to be the busiest day for getaways, with nearly four million separate journeys expected by car in addition to the "final flurries" of commuter traffic.

December 26

After the big day, there are an additional four million trips being made on Boxing Day.

December 27

Just under four million trips being made on December 27 as people continue celebrating with family or start heading home. On each of these days drivers should avoid major roads during the hours of 10am to 3pm, which is when journeys are expected to take "significantly longer than usual."

Best and worst times to drive ahead of Christmas according to the RAC and INRIX

Monday, December 23

Worst times to travel: 10am to 4pm Best times to travel: After 4pm

Tuesday, December 24

Worst times to travel: 10am to 4pm

Best times to travel: After 4pm Andrew Butterfield, National Highways Customer Service Director, said: "With more people expected to travel during the festive period and recent storms causing widespread disruption, it's crucial for drivers to plan ahead and exercise extra caution on the roads.

Advice from authorities

Travel Somerset recommends spending time checking your car before driving to ensure the vehicle is safe. They also suggest keeping updated with live travel updates on the Travel Somerset website[4].

Planning to travel over Christmas? Spend some time checking your car is safe to drive. Don't wait for something to go wrong on the day! #ChristmasIsCancelled[5] ???

Find live travel updates, roadworks and weather affecting #Somerset roads at ? https://t.co/4pYPOdAioE pic.twitter.com/lbO6BZ8Wv3[6][7][8]

-- Travel Somerset (@TravelSomerset) December 23, 2024[9]

Andrew Butterfield, National Highways Customer Service Director, said: "With more people expected to travel during the festive period and recent storms causing widespread disruption, it's crucial for drivers to plan ahead and exercise extra caution on the roads. "To help make journeys smoother, we're removing roadworks on 95% of the roads we manage and to reduce the risk of breakdowns, we are also urging motorists to check their vehicles using the handy acronym TRIP - especially tyres, coolant, and oil levels before setting off." Bob Pishue, Transportation Analyst at INRIX, said: "With so many people expected to hit the road this holiday season, drivers should expect delays in and around major cities.

Planning ahead is key to avoiding the country's worst traffic jams, either by using navigation apps or the route planner in the myRAC app to find the best times to travel."

References

1. ^ AA predicts road congestion hotspots for Somerset (www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk)
2. ^ GWR issues travel advice ahead of Christmas getaway (GWR%20issues%20travel%20advice%20ahead%20of%20Christmas%20getaway)
3. ^ Christmas getaway disruption continues as 75mph gusts forecast (Christmas%20getaway%20disruption%20continues%20as%2075mph%20gusts%20forecast)
4. ^ website (t.co)
5. ^ #ChristmasIsCancelled (twitter.com)
6. ^ #Somerset (twitter.com)
7. ^ https://t.co/4pYPOdAioE (t.co)
8. ^ pic.twitter.com/lbO6BZ8Wv3 (t.co)
9. ^ December 23, 2024 (twitter.com)