AA issues amber warning on the roads as London set for mass congestion on M25 this weekend

The AA have become the latest organisation to issue an amber warning for London ahead of Christmas 2022; however this time the alert has less to do with the weather conditions and more to do with heavy traffic ahead of the weekend.

Many motorists will be taking to the roads this week ahead of Christmas Day, and the Automobile Association has offered advice for what is set to be one of the busiest on the roads in years. The amber traffic warning has been issued for both Friday (December 23) and Saturday (December 24), as an expected 17 million motorists hit the road after work this week. The company attributed ongoing rail strikes as a catalyst for the higher number of cars on the road this year.

In particular, the AA has detailed that the M25_motorway">M25, which links to many main routes across England, is expected to have delays with the road set to “carry most of the strain.” The M25, or London Orbital Motorway, is already one of the busiest roads in the United Kingdom, with an average of 216,000 motorists using it each day. That total is set to rise this weekend to 635,000.

The congestion on London roads also won’t be helped by the current ongoing works around the capital. Transport for London has already advised there will be a series of lane closures and full directional closures on the Great West Road A4 between Chiswick roundabout and Hogarth roundabout until January 2023 and there are weight restrictions in place on the A41 Brent Cross Flyover.

The recent cold snap has seen a rise in breakdowns for the  roadside assistance firm. They said: “Pre-travel checks on cars could prevent the many breakdowns roadside assistance companies have seen recently. These checks include checking screen wash has not frozen, the condition of tyres and faulty wiper blades.”

Key information for London motorists ahead of this weekend

• Friday (December 23) and Saturday (December 24) is expected to see 17 million hit the road
• M25, M4, M3, M6, M62, A69 and M1 set for queues
• Interchanges connecting the M25 with the M3, M4, M1, M11, M20 and A1(M) are forecast to experience delays over the two-day period.
• Great West Road remains closed until January 2023 between Chiswick roundabout and Hogarth roundabout, which will also at times affect the M4 between junction 3 and Chiswick roundabout
• There is now a weight restriction of 7.5 tonnes on the A41 Brent Cross Flyover.
• Traffic forecast to build between 10am and 6pm Friday and 10am and 4pm Saturday.
• Avoidable winter breakdowns show the importance of pre-travel checks.

For up to the minute information on the roads, be sure to visit AA’s Roadwatch website, which highlights road congestion alongside roadworks, road closures and incidents.