23 July 2008

Gridlock weekend approaches

The credit crunch, it seems, is even affecting traffic.

As Britain gears up for what is traditionally the busiest weekend of the year on the UK roads this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, traffic information service www.keepmoving.co.uk says that the nationÃ¢â¬â¢s new obsession with tightening their purse strings means we can expect more traffic on the countryÃ¢â¬â¢s roads than usual as people decide to holiday in the UK.

The traffic monitoring service estimates that there will be 18 million vehicles on the roads this weekend and says delays will rise by 33% on Friday and by 75% on Saturday relative to the seasonal average.

Mary Vingoe, from keepmoving.co.uk, said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe believe that the affects of the credit crunch will be more evident than ever during the summer getaway this weekend. ItÃ¢â¬â¢s the A roads leading to coastal areas where motorists will notice the increased volume of traffic. Major routes out of cities will experience queues, with the M6 Junctions 21-35 between Cheshire and the Lakes and the M5 Junctions 15-20 past Bristol and Junctions 23-29 through Somerset and Devon amongst the most severely affected. Congestion will start to build on Friday around 11am and will remain busy for the majority of the weekend.Ã¢â¬~

By Dinah Hatch