Help Make Your Visitors Journey More Comfortable

An innovative leaflet designed to help visitors plan their journeys to the South West and avoid the busy congestion spots is being promoted in 79 motorway service areas this summer.

Summer Getaway 2009 has been produced by the Highways Agency in partnership with South West Tourism and offers advice about the likely traffic hot spots and peak travel times so visitors can plan for a safer and more reliable journey.  It also has details of 36 tourist attractions which visitors can enjoy in the South West.

Research has shown that travel is one of the few detractors from the South West holiday experience as we expect to see more new visitors to the region this summer. Therefore, you can now help your visitors to limit their delays by advising them on the best times to travel.

The leaflet Summer Getaway has proved to be so popular with visitors over the last few years it is being issued for the third time and 450,000 copies are being printed to meet demand.

Malcolm Roberts, Highways Agency Area Performance Manager said.

"We are delighted that the leaflet has proved so popular and hope that visitors will continue to find it useful in planning their route and stopping points before they travel.

Our advice is to avoid the busiest travel periods if you can and these periods are outlined in the leaflet.

We have postponed non-urgent road works during the summer to keep lanes open, and we are making up to date traffic information available through the media and via our website. We hope drivers will also use this information to plan their journeys and avoid the worst of the delays."

Malcolm Bell, Director of South West Tourism, said,

"The South West is bursting with a variety of experiences from history and heritage, family breaks to adventure holidays, and visitors coming down during the summer months want to get to their destination as soon as possible and start enjoying their break.

Therefore, we want our visitors to arrive at their destination stress free so this map is perfect as it helps visitors to plan their journeys and visit our wonderful attractions en route."

Close to eight million visitors are attracted to the South West from all over the country during the summer months, seeking beautiful beaches, rugged coastline, quaint villages, stately homes, ancient monuments, wild moors and tourist attractions dotting the region.

However this creates plenty of traffic on the main roads. At peak times each weekend traffic hot spots delay visitors driving to their holiday destination and affect other traffic in and around the region.  The Highways Agency takes steps to help road users by limiting road works in the region during the summer to essential work only and by providing information to help road users plan their journeys.

Tourism Businesses can obtain copies of the leaflet to send to guests prior to arriving in the region by calling the Highways Agency on 08457 50 40 30.

To view an online version of the map click here.

Summer getaway 2009 will be available from 79 motorway service stations on the key motorways taking traffic to the South West, starting on 16 June. The routes include the M1, M3, M4, M5, M6, M18, M25, M40, M42, A34, and A38.  The campaign runs until early September.

For up to date information, drivers can also check the Highways Agency website or ring the Highways Agency information line on 08457 504030.

Date added: Wednesday 1st July 2009
Latest updated: Thursday 2nd May 2013