Drivers are being told to expect and prepare for long queues across the UK as millions are set to take to roads over the Christmas weekend.
With the festive season generally known to make roads nationwide busier than usual as a given, but this year, with congestion expected to be impacted further due to the ongoing strike action by thousands of members of the RMT union at Network Rail – which means train services with finish at around 3pm on Christmas Eve – The AA has now issued a warning to anyone making a journey this weekend.
The AA says it expects today (23 December) will be the busiest day on the roads this week, with an estimated 16.9 million journeys being made across the UK.
On top of this, a further 16.6 million are then expected to be made on Christmas Eve.
Drivers told to expect ‘long queues’ as millions take to the roads this Christmas weekend / Credit: The AA
Adding to the AA’s warning, the RAC has also revealed when it expects roads will be busiest, and which roads are likely to be the most affected.
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Roads are expected to be the busiest between 10am and 7pm today (Friday), which for many is the last working day before Christmas, while the roads named as likely to be the most affected by congestion include the M25, the M60 near Manchester, the M6 in North West England, and the M40 in Oxfordshire.
Rail strikes are not the only industrial action expected to affect traffic on the roads either, with those travelling by air also having been told to expect delays as Border Force staff at several major airports across the UK – including Manchester Airport – are currently striking over the festive period too.
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Of course, with this Christmas also being the first in recent years to be unaffected by COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and measures in place, transport analytics company Inrix has said it expects journey times to be around 14% longer compared to the same period last year thanks to post-pandemic traffic numbers.
More than 33 million journeys are expected to be made over the next three days / Credit: iStock
In a bid to help ease festive traffic, National Highways has confirmed that almost 98% of England’s motorways and major A-roads will be fully open until the end of 2 January due to it completing and lifting roadworks.
“We are advising those heading out in their cars to be prepared for some congestion,” explained Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy at The AA.
“The rail strikes have convinced more people to travel by car this year, and while hundreds of miles of roadworks have been removed to ease the pain, it might not be enough to keep the queues away.”
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said that there will be “two frantic days of travelling just before Christmas”.
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd December 2022 
