thanks to rail works there are 16MILLION cars due to hit the road for Easter

This Easter weekend Britain is facing gridlock as engineering works on the railways and the Bank Holiday getaway coincide. 

As many as 16 million motorists are set to take to the roads over Easter, with four million traveling on Good Friday and 4.5 million on Easter Sunday.

'The first spring bank holiday of the year traditionally heralds the start of busier weekends on the nation's roads,' said RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams.

He went on: 'This Easter is set to be a hectic one with 16 million of us getting behind the wheel for an Easter break, but at least we will benefit from the longer days and lighter evenings to complete our journeys.' 

The Highways Agency is also maintaining 55 sets of roadworks over the Bank Holiday weekend meaning Parts of the M1, M3, M4 and M6 likely to be hit by lane closures or speed restrictions. ( they are lifting 62 roadworks temporarily to ease the congestion).  

The increase in the number of people planning to travel by car is thought to have been in part triggered by a significant shutdown of the rail network including the West Coast main line, First Great Western and Greater Anglia - forcing passengers to make diversions on slower trains or spend hours on the dreaded replacement coaches. 

Network Rail said engineering works were planned over the Easter holidays because passenger numbers fell by 20 per cent. 

In a move that has been described by an expert as 'adding insult to injury', Virgin Trains and London Midland have cancelled advanced cheap fares forcing passengers to purchase more expensive off-peak tickets. 

Both Virgin and London Midland say they cannot offer advance fares as the tickets would not be valid with other operators and replacement services. 

The gloomy weather forecast this Bank Holiday weekend will increase the traffic on Britain's roads as travellers go abroad in search of sunshine.

Figures from Gatwick airport show that more than two million passengers are expected to fly off for foreign holidays over the Easter break - a four per cent rise on the same period last year.

Almost 50,000 more people than last year have bought air tickets for travel over the Easter weekend compared with last year. Barcelona, Dublin and Malaga are the most popular destinations. 

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Will new 20mph limits on London red routes leave people looking at the speedo instead of the road?

Motorists face £100 fines as 20mph limits are imposed on some of Britain’s busiest roads.

Until now, the lower 20mph speed limit has been restricted to smaller roads in residential areas or near schools. However this is about to change with 20mph limits to be introduced on major arterial roads (policed by the latest digital speed cameras).

London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed that eight pilot schemes will be run on ‘Red Routes’ – the main arterial roads that carry a third of the capital’s traffic. 

Other towns and cities including Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh say they also intend to introduce the new limits.

The minimum fine fore motorists caught breaking the 20mph limit will be £100 fine and three points on their driving licence.

The AA says the new limits are being driven more by ‘dogma’ than road safety. A spokesman said: ‘These 20mph zones are popping up like spring daffodils.

‘There is a lot of fear among drivers that, with 20mph being a relatively unfamiliar speed, widespread speed camera use will make them look more at their speedometers than at what is happening on populated streets in front of them.’

If the trials in London ( due to last 18-months)  are judged a success, the 20mph limits will be made permanent and imposed on 30 miles of key ‘Red Routes’ considered by transport bosses to be ‘more local road than motorway’. Some 175 miles of residential streets.

Under the new London scheme, the first road to convert to 20mph next month will be Commercial Street in Shoreditch, linking into plans for Tower Hamlets and Hackney to become 20mph boroughs.

Rod King, founder of the ‘20’s Plenty for Us’ campaign group, said: ‘The current 30mph national limit is being rejected as “unfit for purpose” for communities so we’re setting out a series of government actions required for a planned transition to a UK default urban limit of 20mph by 2020.’

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘Research shows 20mph zones can save lives and this government has made it easier for councils to introduce them.

‘It is for local authorities to set speed limits and for the police to decide how best to enforce them.’

The spokesman added: ‘We are undertaking a three-year research project to better understand the effect of 20mph zones and their impact on local communities.’

Watch out on the roads this summer

So its the first official day of summer today there’s nothing like cruising along with the sun glinting off your shades.Unfortunately even warm, dry roads are full of  hazards.

Image Daily Mail

More Bicycles - leave 'at least a meter' between you and the bike when passing .

More Horses  -  pass slow and wide, with no loud noises.


More Motorcycles -  Double check at junctions, as these are blackspots


Rain after a dry spell - It takes a few days for the dust, oil and diesel to wash away. After three dry weeks, the risk of a fatal crash is almost 10% higher than if it rains all along.


More teenagers about - Holidays mean more teenagers on the roads. Men aged 17-20 are seven times more at risk than any other group. Under 25s are also more likely to fail a breath test, a 2012 police campaign found.


More kids in the street - Good weather means children playing outside.


Distracted holidaymakers -  People who are unfamiliar with the roads that they are driving with their eyes being distracted from the road by GPS, phone calls, food, drinks, children etc



More Tractors - Tractors don't need brake lights or indicators, and they're loud. The driver may not know you're even there – and you may not see the field it's about to turn into. Take great care overtaking.


Deer in the road - Deer spread from breeding grounds in late spring to early summer, and are most active around sunrise and in the darkness before midnight. 


Breakdowns - Hot weather increases your chances of a breakdown as older cars go on long hot trips. Look for leaking hoses, low water levels and broken fans before leaving, and watch for breakdowns blocking the road.

10 Most Dangerous Roads in the UK

An annual report named 'How Safe Are You On Britain's Roads?'.by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) a UK road safety charity, has revealed the 10 most dangerous UK roads.

 

The most dangerous road at number 1 on the list is the A285 between Chichester and Petworth, Fatal and serious crashes increased by 16 per cent on this 12-mile stretch over a five year period from 2007 and 2012, making it Britain's most dangerous road.

The charity acknowledged the difficulties facing the A285. It said a "more reaching intervention" is required if the local government is to improve the situation, adding that previous measures had been inadequate.

The report was not all doom and gloom. It discovered councils who scheduled cost efficient safety measures in conjunction with standard road maintenance managed to reduce fatal and serous crashes by an impressive 80 per cent on 15 stretches of roads.

Even more impressive is the fact that these enormous reductions were worth a staggering £400 million to the economy. Motorways, meanwhile, witnessed a 20 per cent decrease in fatal and serious crashes.

Some other negative findings of the report are worth a mention. It is now understood that motorcyclists make up only one per cent of traffic but 21 per cent of fatal crashes. Also the risk to road users is seven times greater on single-carriage A roads than motorways.

RSF chairman Lord Whitty said: "We can no longer accept sudden, violent road death as such a significant cause of premature loss of life. The Government must design, plan and legislate to put safety on roads on the same footing as safety in the air, sea or on rail."
The Top 10 is as follows:

1. A285 between Chichester and Petworth 
2. A809 Glasgow to A811 
3. A397 Montrsoe to A90 (Laurencekirk) 
4. A18 Laceby to Ludborough 
5. A6 M6 J33 to Lancaster 
6. A61 Wakefield to M1 J44 
7. A36 A3090 to Totton 
8. A589 Full route around lancaster 
9. A643 Brighthouse to Morley 
10. A4300 Full route through Kettering

Another way to keep yourself safer and more aware of the roads you travel on and their dangers is to get  a Road Angel Gem and have it tell you where the blackspots are! Simple really

Losing White Lines From Roads 'Cuts Speeding'

Recent research across the capital shows that removing white lines from the centre of urban roads dramatically cuts the number of speeding cars.The study carried out by Transport for London, (which controls major roads in the capital) across three routes showed vehicle speeds fell by up to 13 per cent. The roads chosen were ones that had just been re-surfaced. The most dramatic results were recorded on Seven Sisters Road, in north London, which has a 30mph limit. The speed of southbound traffic fell by 4.1mph from an average of 32.4mph to 28.3mph - almost 13 per cent - while northbound traffic speeds fell from 31.4mph to 29mph. The report concluded: ‘Centre lines and hatching can provide a psychological sense of confidence to drivers that no vehicles will encroach on ‘their’ side of the road.

TfL says the practice could be expanded to more routes - subject to ‘careful analysis of the site to determine if it is appropriate’. Roads where markings are used to highlight particular hazards, such as approaches to complex junctions, would not be considered.

Road Safety Campaigners back the plans to remove white lines. Amy Aeron-Thomas, executive director of crash reduction charity RoadPeace, said: ‘RoadPeace welcomes the news that white line removal has led to significant speed decreases on 30 mph roads. At a time when government is promoting cycling and walking but cutting enforcement budgets, self enforcing measures are key.TfL is to be credited with trialling this measure. We look forward to its wider use, including with 20mph roads.’

What do you think? Is the removal of white lines a good idea? add comments below