Holiday getaway could lead to snarlups....

Motoring organisations expect the busiest Easter on the roads for several years, with Britain forecast to bask in glorious weather in one of the hottest Aprils on record. But the temptation to make a getaway could lead to snarlups, they warn.

Temperatures are likely to reach 26C in London and parts of the south-east over the four-day break, more than 10C higher than the national average for this time of year.

Homebase has reported a 20% rise in barbecue sales compared with Easter last year and said it would sell enough gas "to fuel 300,000 barbecues… and enough garden chairs to fill Westminster Abbey 30 times over".

Road

The AA expects traffic to start building , with a total of 10m cars – a third of all vehicles in the UK – on the move during the long holiday weekend. It estimates that the recent spike in petrol and diesel prices will add an extra £2 to to the cost of each 100 miles driven by holiday motorists.

According to Trafficmaster, the hotspots will be the A21, M3, M4, M5, M11 and M27. Additionally, the cross-Channel routes – the M20, A20 and A2 to Eurotunnel, Folkestone and Dover – are expected to be exceptionally busy. Although most restrictions for roadworks will be lifted during the Easter period, some big works will still go ahead, bringing congestion on the M1 between junctions 10 and 14 and the M25 between junctions 18 and 21A, and junctions 27 and 30.

The M1 still threatens to disrupt north-south journeys after a fire under a raised section of the motorway in north London forced the Highways Agency to implement lane closures and speed restrictions. Three lanes should be reopened by Thursday but a 50mph speed limit will still be in place for safety reasons. The government has urged motorists to consider alternative routes such as the M40 and A1.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said the temptation to hit the road, lured by good weather and the long break, could be tempered by punishing fuel prices. "The roads are still going to be busy but I think drivers will choose to go to the closest beach. So we predict that there will be slightly shorter trips, as many drivers try to economise."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/20/easter-holiday-travel-uk