Another maniacal Monday: People are warned to prepare for the chaos of Easter holidays with huge queues at airports and 14 million cars on the road at the end of the long weekend
- 14 million cars will hit the roads on Monday afternoon, warned AA
- The unions also said airports face queues in front of passport doors and luggage carousels.
- Experts say 530 railway improvements are pushing more passengers out of the way
By Charlotte McLaughlin About Mailonline
Posted: 15:37, 17 April 2022 | Updated: 16:03, 17 April 2022
Vacationers have been warned to prepare for another maniacal Monday out of the chaos of huge queues expected at airports and 14 million cars on the road during the Easter holiday, as the long weekend ends.
Unlike the Easter getaway before the weekend, which was spread over several days, all traffic will be condensed in one day, warned the British Automobile Association AA.
The unions said airports were also facing queues at passport doors as many of their Easter holidays abroad returned to the UK tomorrow before school resumed on Tuesday.
In addition to the misery, more passengers on the train will be on the road with 530 rail improvements – worth £ 83 million – to take place tomorrow, experts say.
Vacationers have been warned to prepare for another maniacal Monday of chaos with long queues at airports and 14 million cars on the roads during the Easter weekend at the end of the long weekend. Pictured: Slow-moving M3 traffic near Egham in Surrey on Friday.
Unlike the Easter getaway before the weekend, which was spread over several days, all this will be collected in one day, warned the British Automobile Association, AA. Pictured: Check-in at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, West London on Saturday, April 9
A total of 47 million car journeys are made between Good Friday and Easter Monday, AA’s combined figures for leisure trips and normal travel show.
AA spokesman Tony Rich said: “A lot of people will be traveling on Monday and we are preparing for heavy traffic.
“The day will see people returning home, as well as a large number of day trips to the coast in places where the weather is fine, or inland if the weather is not so good.”
Immigration Secretary-General Lucy Morton said: “This weekend, a catastrophic shortage of staff, with people traveling again, we expect queues to move from security-based queues that go out to queues at border forces that are coming back. “
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “Rail engineering works lead to more traffic jams as some people travel by car instead.”
And there is no break in rail transport, as about 500 Easter bus journeys usually turn fast train journeys into nightmares with many changes.
The West Coast Line is used by buses as almost 50 miles of the route is closed between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
And every passenger on the Stansted Express is transported by bus to and from the airport.
The unions said airports were also facing queues at passport gates and luggage carousels, as many of the Easter holidays abroad return to the UK tomorrow before school resumes on Tuesday. Pictured: Check-in for passengers at Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, West London on Saturday 9 April
Richard Freeston-Klaff, a spokesman for London TravelWatch, said: “More leisure travel by train is taking place because it’s Easter, but engineering projects mean a break.”
A Network Rail spokesman said: “Most of the network is open to business as usual. “Where our projects affect services, we strive to minimize disruptions by using alternative routes and using buses as a last resort.”
Transport chiefs blamed the increase in Easter travel on the public’s desire to make up for missed family visits and travel during the pandemic.
AA said drivers’ desire to travel was not hampered by rising gasoline prices or fears of depletion of gas stations after protesters Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion prevented tankers from leaving some oil depots last week.
Mr Rich said: “People’s desire to travel makes this Easter a bit like Christmas, with people seeing friends and family after not seeing them much during Covid.
“Our research shows that people want to make the most of the holiday weekend. This shows the demand to do what we have missed in the last two years.
“Time is a factor and encourages more travel, and people’s determination to travel outweighs concerns about fuel costs.”
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