£2,500-a-Day Roadwork Charge to Be Trialled

The Government is seeking three local authorities to trial its plans to charge utility companies as much as £2,500 a day to dig up roads during busy periods.

The so-called lane rental scheme is aimed at incentivising gas, electricity, water and phone companies to carry out their works more quickly and at times when roads are quieter. Companies would be able to avoid the charges by carrying out works during off-peak periods or, if appropriate, at night.

Following a period of consultation, the Department for Transport is now looking for three local authorities to pioneer the scheme in order to assess its effectiveness.

“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,” said Transport Minister Norman Baker.

“This disruption is not only inconvenient but very expensive, with roadwork-related congestion costing the economy an estimated £4 billion a year.

“We believe lane rental schemes provide a further incentive to utility companies and local authorities to carry out their works at times when they will cause the minimum disruption and to complete them as quickly as possible.”

Any revenue raised from such charges must be used to fund measures that could help reduce future disruption from road works.

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