This weekend will be the quietest spring bank holiday on the roads in at least seven years, a new survey suggests.

An RAC poll indicated that 9.4 million leisure journeys will be made by car between Saturday and Monday, compared with 16.8 million over the equivalent period last year.

It is the lowest total recorded since the motoring services firm began researching spring bank holiday travel in 2014.

This weekend will be anything but a traditional sunny bank holiday weekend, and in fact nationally it could turn out to be the quietest on the motorways and major roads ever

Some 68% of the 1,500 UK drivers questioned do not expect to get in their car for recreational purposes over the long weekend.

While 15% of respondents said they plan on driving no more than 10 miles for leisure, with 8% taking trips of between 11 and 30 miles.

The appetite for a lengthier journey is small, with just 3% of people driving more than 30 miles.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said people were “much keener to stay at home than pack the car up for a day trip”.

He continued: “This weekend will be anything but a traditional sunny bank holiday weekend, and in fact nationally it could turn out to be the quietest on the motorways and major roads ever.

“There will still almost certainly be jams on local roads leading to beaches, country parks and other beauty spots, probably made up of people who live within very easy reach of these destinations.

“While it’s true that some car parks in popular locations were quick to fill up last weekend, it was positive to see that many of the fears around people swarming to tourist destinations thankfully didn’t translate into widespread problems.

“Tourist boards and the police will be hoping for something similar this coming weekend.”

This bank holiday, to make sure our railway is at its very best when we emerge from this pandemic, we are continuing to work on and invest in the rail network to make it more reliable for passengers

People across the UK are being urged to avoid using public transport if possible.

Network Rail issued a warning to people whose journey “must be made by rail” this weekend that 490 engineering projects are being carried out, causing disruption to services.

Major projects include:

– A range of work in the Leeds area, meaning there will be no direct trains between Leeds and Harrogate

– The installation of almost a mile of new track between Fareham and Eastleigh in Hampshire, closing the line for seven days from Saturday

– Renewal of track infrastructure between London Victoria and Herne Hill/Peckham Rye, which means Southern and Thameslink services will not serve London Victoria.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: “This bank holiday, to make sure our railway is at its very best when we emerge from this pandemic, we are continuing to work on and invest in the rail network to make it more reliable for passengers.

“That means some journeys may be different, so if you have to travel please check your journey before leaving home.”