AA issues amber traffic warning ahead of second weekend of travel chaos

The Commonwealth Games, train strikes, family holidays and start of the football season could make it tricky to travel around the UK
William Mata28 July 2022

Another weekend of travel chaos has been predicted with the AA now issuing an amber traffic warning.

Summer holiday getaways are likely to combine with travel to the Commonwealth Games to create queues on the road, which could peak between 11am and 3pm on Friday and Saturday.

There will also be train strikes with around 5,500 Aslef members at eight unions set to walk out after the latest talks broke down over pay. Rail companies set to be involved include London Overground, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Southeastern and West Midlands Railway.

Birmingham is hosting day two of action at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday and streets around the city will be closed due to the marathon taking place. The English Football League season also gets underway with games across the country.

Congestion is likely to be felt as drivers head towards the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone, where queues of 20 hours were reported last weekend. However, both French and British authorities are hopeful reported staffing and Brexit-related issues will be resolved in time for the peak journey times.

Dover traffic jam and chaos for Summer getaway 2022

Holiday getaway
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Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “With holiday let switchover day starting on Friday mixed with train strikes and a huge weekend of sport, we are concerned that drivers will experience delays across the network with the South of England particularly vulnerable.

“All eyes will be on Dover and Folkestone, but we believe changes have been made throughout the week and we will keep our fingers crossed for a smoother trip across the Channel.”

Drivers heading towards Devon and Cornwall using the M5, A303 and A30 are likely to experience traffic jams. Similarly, the south west and western sections of the M25, the Bristol M4/M5 junction, M6, M42, M1 and M62 are vulnerable to congestion this weekend.

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