Archive Website of the UK government

Journey Planner

Cross & Stitch's Journey Planner includes up-to-the-minute traffic information and a CO2 calculator. It can help you find car parks, plan a day trip or compare journeys by car and public transport.

• Journey Planner Opens new window

Or perhaps you just want to look a road atlas.

• Download network map for England (PDF, 1084K) Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

Check the latest traffic conditions

You can get live traffic information online by following the Highways Agency link below. You can choose from a map-based layout or view information by individual motorway.

• Live traffic updates from the Highways Agency Opens new window

The website shows:

• average speeds (from sensors in the road surface)
• the messages motorway electronic message signs are displaying
• live incidents
• future events and planned roadworks
• weather conditions
• live images from CCTV cameras

You can customise the information you receive so it refers to your region or a specific motorway, for example.

You can also subscribe to email alerts or RSS feeds for the latest information for a region or road.

• Subscribe to get traffic news email alerts or RSS feeds

You can also use this service on web-compatible mobiles. The mobile version uses a simple text-based format to speed up download times.

• Highways Agency mobile website Opens new window

Using an iPhone app

The Highways Agency iPhone app can give you live traffic updates based on your current location.

• More about the Highways Agency iPhone app

By phone

The Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000 has advisers available 24 hours a day. They can update you on traffic conditions or incidents. You can also call to report an issue such as debris on the motorway.

Traffic England's automated phone service on 08700 660 115 provides real-time traffic information. It operates with both keypad and voice-activated commands and gives details of:

• traffic information by road, region, date or time
• future events affecting traffic

TV text services

All the main TV text services carry traffic information. Try:

• Ceefax
• BBCi
• Teletext

Check the weather forecast

You can check for severe weather warnings likely to affect England's road network on the Highways Agency website homepage.

Flood warning information is shown on the Environment Agency's website.

For general forecasts you can use the Met Office website.

• Highways Agency homepage Opens new window

• Environment Agency flood warnings Opens new window

• Met Office Opens new window

The weather can seriously affect your journey time - you may have to take another route, leave earlier or sometimes not travel at all. For tips on driving in bad weather see 'Safety in extreme weather'.

• How to drive safely in extreme weather

And remember

To plan a safe journey:

• allow a 15-minute break for every two hours of driving
• check your vehicle is roadworthy and has a spare tyre in good condition
• take emergency items for very hot or very cold weather (eg water, warm clothes, hot drink)
• check you have enough fuel before you set off
• don't start a long trip if you are already tired

More useful links

• Getting a Blue Badge (disabled people section)

Useful contacts

• Department for Transport (DfT)

• Transport for London (TfL)