Clearing the roads for Christmas

Highways England do their bit to make sure travellers aren’t on a highway to Hell this Christmas

We all know the frustration of driving or riding by roadworks on the motorways without actually seeing a soul working on them, leaving roads congested with miles and miles of seemingly useable lanes rendered useless. Well, Highways England are going to be rectifying this over the festive period by removing roadworks and helping to clear the roads while everybody visits family to stuff their faces with turkey and Christmas pudding.

Christmas is typically a very busy time for our roads as families travel to see distant relatives and get all festive and stuff. The plan from Highways England will see nearly 400 miles of roadworks removed over the holiday period in the hope that it will make travelling a less stressful affair.

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“We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Christmas and that’s why we’re keeping the road network we manage free from roadworks” said Melanie Clarke, Highways England’s customer service director.

The clearer roads will mean that an impressive 99% of all Motorways and strategic A-roads will be clear of obstructions such as lane closures. This will also include the lifting of speed limit restrictions in many instances too, though Highways England have stated for drivers and riders to adhere to road signs to give a clear indication of the speed limits.

The roadworks will be lifted or completed by 6am on Friday, December 22 and will remain clear until midnight on Monday, January 01. Ho, ho, ho and all that. 

Drivers and riders are also urged to make sure vehicles are checked for roadworthiness before travelling, especially tyres as there is a much greater risk of ice (if you hadn’t already noticed).

“Safety is our top imperative and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns are avoidable and these can easily be avoided with simple checks” said Melanie. “Christmas is always a busy period on the road network and we’d urge all motorists to make sure they do their bit to check their vehicle is roadworthy before setting off over the festive period.”

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