Drivers urged to plan Merseyside journeys over bank holiday weekend
Drivers aiming to use motorways around Merseyside over the late spring bank holiday weekend are being urged to plan their journeys with Cunard’s 175th anniversary celebrations among the events taking place in the region.
All three Cunard flagship cruise liners – the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria – will appear together in the River Mersey off Liverpool on bank holiday Monday 25 May but the whole of the weekend is likely to be exceptionally busy across the city and parts of Wirral and Sefton.
Everton are also at home with a match against Spurs on Sunday 24 May (kick-off 3pm) and routes around Merseyside and west Cheshire such as the M56 and A55 are traditionally busy with holiday traffic heading into and back from North Wales.
Highways England has been working with Merseytravel to gear up for the Three Queens event with more signing and extra resources, including recovery vehicles and traffic officers, deployed to keep traffic moving on the M53, M56 and other routes over the weekend. However, both Highways England and Merseytravel are advising people to plan their journeys carefully. Merseytravel has launched a dedicated transport information hub giving people options so they can make informed choices about how to travel.
Highways England will complete or lift dozens of road works across the country to give holiday travellers smoother journeys over the bank holiday weekend but is advising drivers to think carefully about journeys involving motorways in and around Merseyside as routes are likely to be exceptionally busy even for a bank holiday weekend.
Drivers are urged to check travel conditions before setting out on journeys. Highways England provides live traffic information via its website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms, such as the iPhone. Information is also available from Twitter via @highwaysNWEST.
Providing they can do so safely, road users can also call the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000 to keep up to date with road conditions.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.