Traffic chaos is a feature of the Easter holiday so ingrained in the public perception that nowadays it springs to mind more readily than the lambs, bonnets and daffodils and other associations of former sunnier times. That chaos has been made worse this year by two things in particular: the unusually early date on which the festival falls, and the infuriating closure of dozens of trunk road and rail routes for repairs and renovation.

Easter this year is the earliest for a century, and comes only one day after the first possible date on which it could be celebrated according to the canonical laws drawn up 1,683 years ago. Many schools have not yet broken up, and families planning a spring holiday therefore have only the four days in which to get away. As a result, millions of people were trying to leave on Thursday evening, with the same numbers expected to crowd the roads, railways and airports on Monday evening. The early date has, as luck would have it, coincided with wintry conditions, making travelling unpleasant and the holiday itself a bleak and less joyous occasion.

Already this has prompted campaigners to revive the call for a fixed date for Easter. The antiquated system for determining the date goes back to a compromise made at the Council of Nicaea in AD325 to settle one of the divisive disputes of the early Church. To avoid Easter falling at the same time as Passover, while keeping the historical link, the bishops agreed to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. Even that was not precise, as the equinox was not a true one but assumed, artificially, to be on March 21 and thus independent of Earth's time zones. The method was later modified in the Western Church, and the resulting difference with the Eastern Orthodox Churches was exacerbated by the West's adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

There have been various attempts to fix the date. In the Middle East, all Christians have agreed to observe Easter on the Orthodox date. Parliament in Britain passed the Easter Act in 1928 to allow Easter to be the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. But since it was conditional on acceptance by the various Christian Churches, it has never been implemented.

Modern secular society would like more bureaucratic predictability, but also has a liking for the moveable feast. It has no liking, however, for the immoveable engineering works that plague our transport systems at Easter and on other holidays. There has seen a huge programme on the railways this year, affecting both the East and West Coast Main Lines as well as pinchpoints such as Clapham Junction. After the appalling performance at new year, Network Rail has insisted that the operations will be carried out with military precision, ensuring no overruns. Nevertheless, the result is that thousands who might have been tempted to take the train instead of driving have been put off by the uncertainty. This reinforces the perception that the railways are run mainly for commuters and business passengers, with little interest in wooing leisure travellers. Rail officials insist that they choose the time where traffic is lowest to repair track, replace bridges and update signalling. But too often long stretches of track are out of action when a smaller section could be shut, and both lines are closed when one could have been kept in service.

Administrative convenience is equally evident on the roads. The Highways Agency has lifted roadworks on some motorways and A-roads, but roadworks remain in place on main roads across the country. John Major memorably waged a campaign against road cones. But the imperative of reopening a serviceable stretch of road during peak periods, even if it needs to be closed again later, seems still to be lost on contractors.

To urge people not to travel over a holiday and to enjoy, instead, days of leisure at home is unrealistic. There may have been a dip in flights abroad this year, largely because of the weaker pound and economic uncertainty. Tourism within Britain should have been quick to seek advantage. But Easter marks the start of the holiday season and transport should be prepared. And in three years it will be balmier - on April 24.