Britain's great August Bank Holiday getaway has descended into transport chaos, with millions of motorists facing gridlocked motorways and train passengers bracing for yet another wave of strikes.
Motorway Mayhem as Millions Hit the Road
National Highways reported severe delays on Friday afternoon, with congestion building rapidly on key routes. The M25 witnessed queues stretching for miles between Junctions 7 and 16, while the M5 became a car park northbound between Junctions 16 and 14 in Gloucestershire. The Port of Dover also experienced significant hold-ups, with wait times exceeding 90 minutes.
Rail Strikes Compound Travel Misery
Adding to the road chaos, the RMT union has called a fresh strike for Saturday, September 2nd, ensuring a weekend of widespread rail disruption. This industrial action will cripple services across multiple operators, including:
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- Great Western Railway
Airports and Ports Brace for Passenger Surge
Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports are anticipating one of their busiest weekends of the year. Meanwhile, the RAC predicts that today will see the highest number of leisure journeys by car—approximately 3.6 million—making it the worst day for congestion.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna offered a small consolation, noting that while the weather is a 'mixed picture,' many can expect 'decent sunny spells' and temperatures in the low 20s Celsius over the long weekend.
This combination of fine weather, a major public holiday, and crippled transport links has created the perfect storm for what is shaping up to be one of the most disruptive getaway weekends in recent memory.
