Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026
Bank holiday traffic in England, measured
On the 5 spring and summer bank holidays from August 2025 to May 2026, England’s roads carried 13% less traffic in the daytime than a normal day, and the busiest hour moved to 11:00. The slow day is the working day before. Measured from National Highways roadside sensors, not estimated.
Every bank holiday we measured
Daytime traffic against a normal day of the same weekday| Bank holiday | Traffic | Busiest hour | Slowest road that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer bank holiday Monday 25 August 2025 | -13% | 11:00 (normally 16:00) | M55 45 mph at 18:00 (normally 60) |
| Christmas Day Thursday 25 December 2025 | -57% | 11:00 (normally 07:00) | M23 52 mph at 20:00 (normally 59) |
| Boxing Day Friday 26 December 2025 | -33% | 11:00 (normally 16:00) | M25 48 mph at 12:00 (normally 52) |
| New Year’s Day Thursday 1 January 2026 | -48% | 13:00 (normally 07:00) | M11 51 mph at 21:00 (normally 58) |
| Good Friday Friday 3 April 2026 | -19% | 11:00 (normally 16:00) | M55 41 mph at 13:00 (normally 56) |
| Easter Monday Monday 6 April 2026 | -12% | 12:00 (normally 07:00) | M18 52 mph at 12:00 (normally 62) |
| Early May bank holiday Monday 4 May 2026 | -16% | 11:00 (normally 07:00) | A2 48 mph at 12:00 (normally 56) |
| Spring bank holiday Monday 25 May 2026 | -12% | 12:00 (normally 07:00) | M27 40 mph at 19:00 (normally 65) |
“Traffic” is vehicles between 06:00 and 22:00 on the typical (median) road, against ordinary days of the same weekday in the same weeks. The slowest road is the one whose speed fell furthest below its normal for that hour; one day’s reading can include a crash or roadworks. Christmas is very different: see Christmas getaway traffic.
A bank holiday Monday, hour by hour
Spring bank holiday, Mon 25 May 2026The day before is the slow one
Worst hour against normal, typical road| Day before | Typical road | Slowest roads that day |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 22 August 2025 before Summer bank holiday | 2 mph below normal | M18 39 mph at 17:00 (normally 66); M32 26 mph at 12:00 (normally 52) |
| Thursday 2 April 2026 before Good Friday | 3 mph below normal | M18 29 mph at 14:00 (normally 62); M60 41 mph at 15:00 (normally 52) |
| Friday 1 May 2026 before Early May bank holiday | 4 mph below normal | M18 34 mph at 18:00 (normally 60); A1 45 mph at 18:00 (normally 61) |
| Friday 22 May 2026 before Spring bank holiday | 5 mph below normal | M18 30 mph at 11:00 (normally 58); M54 44 mph at 17:00 (normally 56) |
Road by road on the spring bank holiday
Monday 25 May 2026| Road | Traffic | Busiest hour | Slowest hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| M23 | +7% | 12:00 | 11:00, 51 mph (normally 58) |
| M55 | +5% | 10:00 | 18:00, 46 mph (normally 59) |
| M27 | +1% | 11:00 | 19:00, 40 mph (normally 65) |
| M3 | +1% | 10:00 | 12:00, 56 mph (normally 60) |
| A3 | 0% | 11:00 | 09:00, 63 mph (normally 64) |
| M61 | -1% | 15:00 | 12:00, 51 mph (normally 61) |
| M5 | -4% | 10:00 | 11:00, 53 mph (normally 58) |
| M4 | -5% | 12:00 | 20:00, 61 mph (normally 61) |
| A14 | -5% | 11:00 | 12:00, 50 mph (normally 51) |
| M25 | -8% | 11:00 | 12:00, 53 mph (normally 56) |
| M6 | -9% | 11:00 | 20:00, 59 mph (normally 60) |
| M40 | -10% | 13:00 | 19:00, 57 mph (normally 59) |
| A1(M) | -11% | 13:00 | 13:00, 53 mph (normally 56) |
| M1 | -11% | 11:00 | 11:00, 56 mph (normally 56) |
| M54 | -11% | 11:00 | 13:00, 51 mph (normally 53) |
| M56 | -11% | 11:00 | 19:00, 67 mph (normally 66) |
| A2 | -12% | 11:00 | 21:00, 56 mph (normally 57) |
| M11 | -12% | 12:00 | 12:00, 51 mph (normally 55) |
| A1 | -12% | 11:00 | 19:00, 65 mph (normally 63) |
| M20 | -13% | 10:00 | 11:00, 51 mph (normally 54) |
| M49 | -16% | 12:00 | 06:00, 65 mph (normally 65) |
| M42 | -17% | 11:00 | 19:00, 62 mph (normally 61) |
| M2 | -18% | 09:00 | 10:00, 43 mph (normally 51) |
| M67 | -18% | 11:00 | 20:00, 56 mph (normally 55) |
| M18 | -19% | 10:00 | 12:00, 44 mph (normally 63) |
| M62 | -20% | 10:00 | 20:00, 64 mph (normally 64) |
| M32 | -20% | 11:00 | 20:00, 55 mph (normally 56) |
| A42 | -20% | 11:00 | 11:00, 61 mph (normally 58) |
| A27 | -20% | 11:00 | 19:00, 63 mph (normally 64) |
| M602 | -23% | 13:00 | 19:00, 61 mph (normally 60) |
| M69 | -26% | 12:00 | 18:00, 55 mph (normally 55) |
| M60 | -29% | 13:00 | 19:00, 62 mph (normally 61) |
| M65 | -32% | 11:00 | 19:00, 63 mph (normally 63) |
| M66 | -32% | 12:00 | 19:00, 64 mph (normally 63) |
| M621 | -39% | 11:00 | 19:00, 64 mph (normally 63) |
Roadworks that are due to finish before the next bank holiday are on long-running roadworks.
Questions about bank holiday traffic
Is there less traffic on a bank holiday?
Yes, in the daytime. Across the 5 spring and summer bank holidays measured from August 2025 to May 2026, the typical road carried 13% less traffic between 06:00 and 22:00 than a normal day of the same weekday. The morning rush mostly disappears: at 08:00 there was 47% less traffic than normal. Measured from National Highways roadside sensors on 35 roads, not estimated.
What time is busiest on a bank holiday?
Late morning. On the measured bank holidays the busiest hour was typically 11:00, against the 07:00 or 16:00 peak of a normal working day.
Is the day before a bank holiday busy?
It is usually slower than the holiday itself. On the working day before each bank holiday, the typical road’s worst hour ran 4 mph below its normal speed for that hour, against 1 mph on the bank holiday.
When is the next bank holiday?
Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, according to GOV.UK’s list of bank holidays in England and Wales.
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds. Dates from GOV.UK bank holidays.