The AA has been forced to issue an ‘orange’ traffic warning for this weekend – the first time the association has done so earlier. Roads to the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone were largely unaffected by traffic on Friday, but some of the UK’s main routes are expected to come under pressure from Saturday due to disruption to rail services due to strike action. train drivers. Members of the Aslef drivers’ union at seven rail operators will walk out for 24 hours with pay. It will serve Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains services. Roads approaching Dover and the Eurotunnel terminus at Folkestone are expected to become busier, as are those serving Devon and Cornwall, such as the M5, A303 and A30. The M42 east of Birmingham and the M60 and M62 in Manchester have already become hotspots, as has the A64 in York. The south-west and west sections of the M25, the Bristol M4/M5 junction and the M6, M42, M1 and M62 are also vulnerable to congestion this weekend. Image: The M25 is often a traffic hotspot the good news However, a glimmer of good news came with UK Border Force and French border police announcing measures to “maximise passenger flows” at checkpoints on either side of the Channel this weekend. In a joint statement, Police Aux Frontieres Deputy Director General Brigitte Lafourcade and UK Border Force Director General Phil Douglas added: “France and the UK have been working closely together in recent days to prepare for the management of our common border through the current period of increased passenger traffic. “France and the UK will continue to work closely together to support the flow of goods and passengers across the Channel during the summer season and beyond.” The port is expected to welcome around 140,000 passengers, 45,000 cars and 18,000 trucks between Thursday and Sunday. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:39 Traffic heading into Dover harbour Taskforce The new task force, known as the Passenger Task Force, has been set up to try to minimize waiting times and avoid further disruption for people traveling on either side of the border. It plans to meet weekly throughout the summer to avoid a repeat of the scenes last Saturday, when families reported being stuck in Dover Port for up to 11 hours due to heavy traffic. There is a row over who is to blame for the huge queues at both Dover and the Eurotunnel entrance in Folkestone, which has been dubbed the ‘hotspot of holiday hell’. Roads are expected to be “extremely busy” across Britain due to a combination of factors including rail strikes, the start of the English Football League season, the Commonwealth Games and summer getaways. To ensure people can still easily get to the games in Birmingham, the government said emergency measures are in place, including extra capacity on rail lines (which are running) and putting on coaches for spectators. Ministers said flight cancellations have also recently fallen to 2019 levels, after slot rules were relaxed to help airlines make sensible decisions about their schedules.
