New lane rental scheme set to reduce roadworks in Oxfordshire
The scheme gives Oxfordshire County Council permission to charge companies per day for work that causes delays
Utility firms, developers and other companies will be charged for disrupting busy roads at the busiest times under the new lane rental scheme (LSR) in Oxfordshire.
The LSR aims to encourage those working on the highway to prioritise off-peak hours and complete the work as quickly as possible to reduce their costs.
Roughly nine per cent of the highway network would be liable for charges, based on factors such as traffic volume and bus frequency.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Whether as pedestrians, cyclists, motorists or nearby residents, we are all familiar with the frustration of the sudden arrival of utilities companies to dig up the roads and create severe problems on the network.
“The work is very often emergency-related and councils have no option to agree to it given that otherwise people’s homes and businesses would potentially be cut off from water, electricity or other essentials.
“However, it is in everyone’s interests for these utilities to minimise their impacts and a lane rental scheme is one such way. If they know they are going to be charged for the length of time they spend there, it is an incentive to complete the job as expeditiously as possible.”
Such schemes already operate in London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex.
Government evaluations have shown this to be an effective way to reduce the duration of work and the impact of resulting congestion on busy roads.
Any surplus income arising from the scheme will be invested back into the highway network and the council’s own roadworks will not be exempt from the charges.