Stephen Mosley, MP for the City of Chester, has welcomed new powers to help councils cut the disruption caused by road works which have been announced by Transport Minister Norman Baker.
Stephen Mosley explains “In Chester we have had years of traffic disruption caused by National Grid replacing gas pipes. This work needs to be done, but many of us think the work could have been done quicker and less disruptively.
“Under these new lane rental proposals, utility companies will have to pay up to £2,500 a day to dig up busy roads, giving them an incentive to complete the work as effectively and quickly as possible. Companies will be able to reduce or avoid the charges by carrying out works in off-peak periods or, if appropriate, at night.”
Following consultation, the Department for Transport has published guidance for local authorities wanting to put lane rental schemes in place. In order to gather evidence on the effectiveness of lane rental, the Department has proposed that schemes should initially be used in up to three pioneer authorities – one metropolitan area and two others – and is inviting applications from interested local authorities.
Transport Minister Norman Baker said:
“It is incredibly frustrating to find vital roads being dug up in the middle of the rush hour or, even worse, traffic lanes closed when no one is even carrying out any work.
“This disruption is not only inconvenient but very expensive, with roadworks-related congestion costing the economy an estimated £4 billion a year, which is why we are taking firm action.”
The guidance which accompanies the new powers makes it clear that lane rental charges must be avoidable and proportionate to the costs of congestion. Councils are also being encouraged to apply the same principles to their own works and come forward with lane rental schemes which fit the needs of their local area.
Any revenue raised from the implementation of lane rental charges will have to be used by councils to fund measures which could help to reduce future road works disruption. This could include infrastructure work, research or measures to improve the management of works.