Training | 2009.12.22
Christmas won't wait as 10 million prepare to hit road
Ten million motorists are expected to brave Britain\'s icy roads today, while airlines try to clear a backlog of thousands of passengers before Christmas Eve.
The AA said that a third of Britain\'s cars will be on the roads and urged motorists to drive carefully as thawing brings black ice. Meanwhile, Europe\'s second largest budget airline, easyJet, admitted it was running out of time to find seats for thousands of stranded customers after the fourth consecutive day of snow disruption.
The AA said roads had improved since heavy snowfall trapped 2,000 motorists in Reading and Basingstoke on Monday night, but warned that traffic could be a menace today.
"The roads are easier now although there will be issues relating to sheer volume of traffic, regardless of what the weather is like," said a spokesman. The organisation also warned that black ice could become a menace as temperatures rise on previously snow-bound routes.
Early this morning 48 people were injured, one seriously, when a coach overturned in Cornwall. An RAF helicopter was deployed to the scene of the crash, which took place when the coach was returning from Mousehole, near Penzance. A police spokesman said the \'extremely icy\' conditions may have played a part in the incident.
Across the UK some major routes were still affected by icy conditions yesterday, with police reporting "mayhem" on roads in Aberdeen. The M4 Severn crossing was closed temporarily as ice dropped from overhead cables and gantries.
Heavy snow across south England on Monday night caused more problems, with the AA reporting the highest number of call-outs in 10 years. The most common reason was flat batteries, followed by tyre damage and electrical problems.
The RAC, meanwhile, said those heading off in their cars for Christmas should consider delaying their journeys given the slightly warmer conditions on their way as the week goes on.
According to the Met Office, the final snow for now was expected to fall last night, mainly in Scotland and northern England, and while today will remain icy, temperatures are then forecast to begin rising slightly.
The AA has criticised councils for failing to properly grit or salt many roads during the cold spell, but the Local Government Association, representing local authorities, yesterday called the claims "unverified, unsubstantiated and unjustified".
The transport minister, Sadiq Khan, said last night that the government was "doing everything possible to keep disruption to a minimum". He added: "We have been in close contact with local authorities where concerns have been raised."
With Eurostar rail services resuming after a three-day stoppage caused by moisture from snow affecting the trains\' electrical power, the most visible impact was at airports, with easyJet again bearing the brunt.
The carrier has been the hardest hit airline after its two largest bases, at Luton and Gatwick, were hit by repeated closures that have forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Yesterday the airline cancelled at least 100 flights, 10% of its schedule, as it called off all but two of its Luton services until 11.30am.
"Luton has been the Achilles heel for us. Once you have planes and crews out of place it has a big impact, particularly if Luton and Gatwick close," said an easyJet spokesman. Asked if it was hoping for a better performance today, he replied: "We hope for the best but prepare for the worst."
EasyJet admitted that thousands of passengers caught up in the backlog created by hundreds of flight cancellations might not be able to travel home with the airline, which carries 100,000 people per day over Christmas. Flights over the next few days are now fully booked as well as being vulnerable to continued bad weather, leaving no room for passengers hoping to switch to flights scheduled for the next 48 hours. "I cannot rule out that we can\'t get everyone home for Christmas," he said.
The spokesman added easyJet had looked at using domestic coach services, chartering flights, and even operating on Christmas Day – but ruled these out. However, the airline has managed to hire a 200-seat Boeing 757 to ferry passengers between the UK and Paris.
A spokesman for Gatwick airport, meanwhile, said there had been "a number" of cancelled and delayed flights yesterday, but things were gradually returning to normal.
The Air Transport Users\' Council said it had received dozens of complaints from passengers about the lack of information on flight cancellations and postponements. "A lot of the calls are from people who are not getting information from airlines and were coming to us with questions that the company should have been answering," said James Fremantle, the ATUC\'s industry affairs manager.
More than 50 flights were cancelled at Heathrow airport because of knock-on effects from cancellations on Monday night, with British Airways cancelling a number of short-haul services. Stansted, Manchester and Leeds Bradford airports also reported delays and cancellations yesterday.
While thousands of Eurostar passengers were finally able to travel between London, Paris and Brussels yesterday, its chief executive, Richard Brown, warned that services would remain restricted until after Christmas and not everyone would reach their destination in time. The company has set up an inquiry panel to look into what went wrong, chaired by Christopher Garnett, the former chief executive of Network Rail.
While Eurostar told passengers that only those who had tickets booked for cancelled services last weekend would be allowed on trains yesterday, more people than anticipated either stayed at home or found other means of travel, and so others were allowed to board the unsurprisingly packed services.
Other rail services across the country suffered from more minor delays, including services run by Southern Rail between London and south coast destinations, Southeastern, which was operating a Saturday service, and First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail trains.
The snow continued to fall heavily in Scotland and also led to no trains running between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/22/10-million-drivers-hit-roads
