The FINANCIAL — Up to 45 per cent of AA members will likely drive this August bank holiday weekend, averaging 50-60 miles a day. This equates to around 16 million drivers on the roads on what will be a packed weekend of leisure and sporting events, says the The Automobile Association Limited (AA).
Some of the highlights include several music festivals – Reading and Leeds, Creamfields in Cheshire, Towersey Festival in Oxfordshire, Greenbelt at Cheltenham Racecourse, CarFest South near Overton, Hampshire, and South West Four on Clapham Common, London – plus a full football fixture list; The Ashes cricket at The Oval, London; rugby league Challenge Cup Final at Wembley; and Notting Hill Carnival among many others, according to traffic information specialist Trafficmaster.
The Northern Irish (52%) are most likely to drive over the weekend, followed by those in the North-east (51%) and Yorkshire & Humberside (48%), shows the latest AA-Populus poll of 23,824 AA members.
Those driving will average 62 miles on Friday and bank holiday Monday (23 and 26 August) and around 52 miles on Saturday and Sunday (24 and 25 August), according to AA.
A day trip is the most popular outing (42%); close to a third (30%) plan a weekend away; and around a fifth (18%) will be going on or returning from a longer holiday. The coast/seaside (47%) remains the most popular destination, then visiting family (41%) with more than a fifth (22%) opting for either a National Park or special event.
Trafficmaster expects congestion on holiday routes from mid-afternoon on Friday (23 August). Routes to the South-west are likely to be the busiest and, depending on the weather, heavy traffic may be experienced on routes to the coast.
“While the forecasted unsettled weather may help take the sting out of the traffic, the August bank holiday is still one of the busiest travel periods of the year. There’s also a packed schedule of sport, music and other events, which will generate localised congestion, particularly at finish time,” said Tony Rich, AA patrol of the year.
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