Opinion divided over London’s lane rental proposal
Boris Johnson’s ‘lane rental’ idea has split opinion right down the middle it seems.
Almost half of the 2,000 motorists included in a nationwide poll supported the proposal to charge utility companies for digging up busy London routes during busy periods [link to full story].
49% of respondents to Confused.com’s survey deemed lane rental a good idea while on the other side of the road, a sceptical 48% believed they would be the customer would suffer as utility companies upped their prices in an effort to maintain profits.
Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at the insurance comparer, reckons the measure could provide a much-needed dose of relief for motorists.
“Car owners really deserve a break and roads that run freely will be welcomed by anyone regularly blighted by queues,” he says.
“The lane rental fees could be a good incentive for companies to complete jobs more quickly reducing the potentially dangerous and infuriating situations that roadworks can create.”
Something to smile about
That was one of the main points London Mayor Boris Johnson stressed when he revealed the idea last week.
“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,” explained Boris.
Mr Kloet adds that drivers have had a challenging past few years with consumers paying £120 extra on average for annual comprehensive cover from 12 months ago.
“If these proposals reduce traffic jams then car owners will have something to smile about,” he concludes.
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