UK’s first lane rental scheme could minimise disruption to London’s roads
Utility companies could be charged for digging up London’s roads during busy periods as of next spring.
The novel idea is part of Boris Johnson’s efforts to create a more free-flowing capital and is currently being discussed by Transport for London (TfL) as part of a 12-week consultation.
By charging companies who dig up the roads at peak times, it is hoped that worktimes will be completed shorter with minimal inconvenience to road users.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said it was also about pushing companies towards carrying out their work at less disruptive times.
“Lane rental will offer a powerful incentive for utility companies in London to ensure they complete their work as quickly as possible,” he commented.
“We will also spend the money raised from lane rental charges on developing new technologies that aim to help utility companies and highway authorities work in ways that will cause far less disruption for road users.”
Tempting
Charges would be cover around 57% of the TfL Road Network. The revenue generated by the charges end up in a roadworks innovation fund, jointly overseen by TfL and the major utility companies.
Leon Daniels, Managing Director for Surface Transport at TfL, said: “We are working on a range of schemes to improve traffic flow across the capital, and lane rental would give us a vital tool to reduce unnecessarily prolonged and disruptive roadworks.
“By investing any revenue raised by the scheme into new and innovative methods, we can help encourage more work to take place outside of the charging periods.”
Jack Semple, Director of Policy at the Road Haulage Association, supported the idea, saying: “Budgets are being cut at the Highways Agency and at local councils.
“It will be increasingly tempting for these organisations to minimise direct charges from maintenance contractors by ignoring the cost of traffic disruption.
“That temptation should be resisted. We should require roads authorities to take account of the broader economic costs of congestion and diversions resulting from work for which they are responsible – and the DfT is well placed to take a lead.”
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