Holiday traffic vanishes

THE motorists who clogged Britain's roads on Good Friday at the start of the long Easter bank holiday weekend had disappeared by yesterday, leaving Britain's roads deserted, writes Leonard Spall.

Traffic jams up to 20 miles long frustrated drivers on Friday as they headed for holiday resorts around Britain. Roadworks and pile-ups compounded the misery, as temperatures up to 18C encouraged trippers to drive to coast and country.

But the second day of the Easter break produced very different scenes. "It was surprisingly quiet out there," said an RAC Roadata spokesman. "There was a turn in the weather and many people staggered their journeys."

There were slight hold-ups in the Lake District, but otherwise traffic flow was comparable with an early Sunday morning. However, further traffic misery has been predicted for Monday evening as people return home.

RAC Roadata estimated more than 15 million cars will take to the road over the Easter break.

Matthew Spencer, a Greenpeace atmosphere campaigner, said: "The awful traffic problem of bank holiday weekends highlights the ridiculous position of spending increasing amounts on roads that just fill up with traffic. It is bizarre - people think they don't have a choice."

The most popular day trips were to theme parks such as Alton Towers, and as travel agents reported an upsurge in religious holidays Ireland and Rome were among the most sought-after destinations.