Scrooge factor fear over petrol prices
Hundreds of thousands of people across the West Midlands are preparing to embark on the great Christmas getaway this weekend – but rising fuel costs means the roads may not be quite as busy as usual.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the West Midlands are preparing to embark on the great Christmas getaway this weekend – but rising fuel costs means the roads may not be quite as busy as usual.
Friday and Saturday are set to be two of the most hectic days of the year for all forms of travel with trippers preparing to take to the skies, railways and roads for a festive break. Bosses at Birmingham Airport are preparing for a rise in the number of passengers, but motoring officials at the RAC Control Centre by the M6 at Walsall say fuel costs may put some people off travelling by road.
Technical director David Bizley said: "We always estimate our number of staff based on how busy we think the roads will be. It will be busy but it won't be as busy as some years.
"You have to remember that this time last year petrol was 88.8p a litre compared with more than £1 now. People who may have been considering a trip may now a bit reluctant especially with other economic factors."
Roadworks will be lifted between 6am on Friday and midnight on January 1 at 18 spots around the country to help motorists.
Work will be halted at the A5 Kingswood Lakeside in Cannock where signal improvements are being made, as well as at junction six on the M42 near Birmingham Airport.
Motorists in Brierley Hill have been told that both lanes of Pedmore Road, where long running traffic restrictions have been in place, will be open between Saturday and January 6.
Jo Carroll from the Highways Agency said: "Friday night and Saturday morning will be the peak times for travellers so we would advice anyone thinking about travelling then to plan their journey in advance and check for any delays before they leave."
Between Friday and January 2 almost 240,000 passengers are expected to travel from Birmingham Airport, which is three per cent up on last year.
The busiest day for the airport will be Saturday when 25,133 will fly out.
There will be 140 bus services running in the region on Boxing Day to a special timetable.
The Midland Metro will be running run at a 20 minute frequency from 10am until 6pm.
